What position does the sound 'ɚ' occupy?

The sound 'ɚ' is classified as a mid, central, lax vowel. This classification is derived from its position in the vowel space. First, considering the mid category, 'ɚ' is articulated with the tongue positioned neither too high nor too low in the mouth, which aligns with the characteristics of mid vowels.

Being central means that the tongue is not biased towards either the front or back of the mouth during its production. This central placement supports the neutral quality that 'ɚ' exhibits in various dialects of English. Additionally, the lax designation indicates that the vocal tract is not tensed during articulation, contrasting with tense vowels, which involve more muscular effort and a more constricted vocal tract.

These phonetic characteristics combine to identify 'ɚ' as a mid, central, lax vowel, making that classification accurate within the context of phonetic study.