OTHER IPA SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
The general chart of the IPA includes consonants, vowels, and a number of
other diagrams for more signs and symbols that are used when we want to
represent the pronunciation of languages as faithfully as possible.
Here is the general chart:
As you see, we have diagrams for consonants, vowels, suprasegmentals,
diacritics.
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SUPRASEGMENTALS
One of the diagrams includes the so-called suprasegmentals /ˌsuːprəseɡˈmentlz/
(“tratti soprasegmentali”).
The segments of spoken language are the vowels and consonants, which
combine to produce syllables, words and sentences. Vowels and consonants are
represented as single phonemes. Suprasegmental features are represented as
signs that are added to the phonemic transcription.
This is the list of suprasegmental symbols in the IPA chart:
Especially important suprasegmental features of speech are stress and
intonation.
Stress
Stress is an extra force used when pronouncing a particular syllable in a word
or sentence. Stressed syllables are produced with greater effort and air pressure
in the vocal tract. The audible effect is that the stressed syllable stands out from
its context. E.g., the middle syllable of the word tomato is clearly stronger the first
and the last syllables. It carries a stress. In phonemic transcription the stress is
shown as a high vertical line before the syllable: /təˈmɑːtəʊ /. The stressed
syllable is /-mɑː-/, and it has the suprasegmental sign of stress [ˈ] in front of it.
(Note that the unstressed syllable to- is pronounced with a schwa sound /ə/, as
most unstressed syllables in English words.)
Sometimes we have two accents in a single word, one stronger and one weaker.
They are called primary stress and secondary stress. A primary stress is
represented as a high vertical line before the syllable, as in tomato /təˈmɑːtəʊ /
above; a secondary stress is represented as a low vertical line before the syllable.
For example, the word suprasegmental (syllable division: su.pra.seg.men.tal)
has a secondary stress on /su:-/, while the main stress (primary stress) is on the
syllable /-men-/: /ˌsuːprəseɡˈmentl/. The syllable /su:-/, carrying a secondary
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stress, is stronger than the unstressed syllables, but not as strong as the syllable
/-men-/, carrying the primary stress.
Here are some more examples; try to pronounce them correctly, according to
the stress or stresses they have:
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phonetician
(pho.ne.ti.cian)
phonology
(pho.nol.o.gy)
phonological (pho.no.log.i.cal)
management (man.age.ment)
establishment (es.tab.lish.ment)
parliamentary (par.lia.men.tary)
unnecessary (un.ne.ces.sary)
performance (per.form.ance)
assist
(as.sist)
/ˌfəʊnəˈtɪʃn/
/fəˈnɒlədʒi/
/ˌfəʊnəˈlɒdʒɪkl/
/ˈmænɪdʒmənt/
/ɪˈstæblɪʃmənt/
/ˌpɑːləˈmentri/
/ʌnˈnesəsəri/
/pəˈfɔːməns/
/əˈsɪst/
The position of the stress can make a change in meaning:
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import (noun) /ˈɪmpɔːt/
import (verb) /ɪmˈpɔːt/
(“importazione”)
(“importare”)
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record (noun) /ˈrekɔːd/
record (verb) /rɪˈkɔːd/
(“disco, registrazione, etc.”)
(“registrare, incidere, etc.”)
Another common suprasegmental is the colon [:] placed after a vowel, to
show that it is long, as [ɔː] in /rɪˈkɔːd/.
Less common signs are:
- a high dot [˙] that shows a half-long vowel;
- the sign of a breve [˘] on a vowel, which indicates that the vowel has an extra
short duration. (N.B.: breve, pron. /bri:v/.);
- a low dot [.], which marks a syllable break;
- an undertie [‿] between words, especially monosyllabic ones, showing that the
words are to be pronounced with no breaks between them – just as they were
one longer word.
Practice the above-mentioned symbols as you can hear them on the web
page http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ipa/suprasegmentals.html. (Cut and paste
this link.) The table below will appear: practice just the “suprasegmentals”
section: point to the asterisks and repeat the words and sentences after the
speaker several times:
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A General View of Suprasegmentals
Suprasegmental, also called Prosodic Feature, in phonetics:
A speech feature such as stress, tone, or word juncture that accompanies or is added over
consonants and vowels; these features are not limited to single sounds but often extend over
syllables, words, or phrases.
In Spanish the stress accent is often used to distinguish between otherwise identical words:
término means “term,” termíno means “I terminate,” and terminó means “he terminated.”
In Mandarin Chinese, tone is a distinctive suprasegmental: shih pronounced on a high, level
note means “to lose”; on a slight rising note means “ten”; on a falling note means “city, market”;
and on a falling–rising note means “history.”
English “beer dripped” and “beard ripped” are distinguished by word juncture.
The above examples demonstrate functional suprasegmentals.
Nonfunctional suprasegmentals that do not change the meaning of words or phrases also
exist; stress in French is an example.
Suprasegmentals are so called in contrast to consonants and vowels, which are treated as
serially ordered segments of the spoken utterance.
The term suprasegmental was coined by American structuralists in the 1940s.
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