Definition
The extended SAMPA notation is defined in ipasam-x.pdf. To translate the notation,
the simplest approach is to read pages 16 to 18 thereof. However, to use the notation, or
see the system at a glance, it may be useful to look at the tabulated symbols given below.
In principle, a symbol consists of the basic form, which consists of a single character,
optionally followed by a backslash, which changes its meaning, followed by the diacritics.
An underscore is always the start of a diacritic, but not all diacritics start with an underscore.
Compounds are permitted for diphthongs, affricates, and co-articulation. They may be compounded
by using -\, or simply by writing them next to one another. If the latter style is adopted, elements
of what incorrectly appear to be a compounds shall be separated by a hyphen (-), on the principle
that clusters are marked by comparison to affricates or diphthongs. Following the same principle,
the aspiration diacritic (_h) may be reduced to the letter.
There is an easy to use list of the proper IPA characters,their meanings, and their Unicode codes which you may wish to consult.
There is a complete chart in the phoNet files section.
Consonants
|
Plosives |
Fricatives |
Frictionless continuant |
Lateral |
Lateral fricative |
Trill |
Tap |
Nasals |
Median click |
Lateral click |
| Glottal |
? |
h h\ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Epiglottal |
>\ |
H\ <\ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Pharyngeal |
|
X\ ?\ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Uvular |
q G\ |
X R |
R |
|
|
R\ |
|
N\ |
|
|
| Velars |
k g |
x G |
M\ |
L\ |
|
|
|
N |
|
|
| Palatals |
c J\ |
C j\ |
j |
L |
|
|
|
J |
|
|
| Alveolopalatal |
|
s\ z\ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Palatoalveolar |
|
S Z |
|
|
|
|
|
|
=\ |
|
| Retroflex |
t` d` |
s` z` |
r\` |
l` |
|
r` |
4` |
n` |
!\ |
|
| Post-alveolar |
|
|
r\ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alveolar |
t d |
s z |
|
l |
K K\ |
r |
4 |
n |
|
|\|\ |
| Dental |
|
T D |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|\ |
|
| Labiodental |
|
f v |
P or v\ |
|
|
|
|
F |
|
|
| Labial |
p b |
p\ B |
|
|
|
B\ |
|
m |
O\ |
|
| Labiovelar |
k_p g_b |
W |
w |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conflicts with IPA
Warning: For IPA [B], [G], [H], [L], [N], use extended
SAMPA [B\], [G\], [H\], [L\] and [N\].
For non-standard(?) linguolabials, [P], [B], [M], [L]
become [t_N], [d_N], [n_N], [l_N].
Other Consonants
| 5 | Velarised ('dark') 'l'. [l_e] and [l_G] are alternative notations. |
|---|
| l\ | Alveolar lateral flap |
|---|
| H | Labial-palatal semivowel, as in French huit. |
|---|
| x\ | Voiceless post-alveolar and velar fricative. Presumably equivalent
to [x_S] |
|---|
Diacritics Modifying Position
| _+ | Advanced. |
|---|
| _- | Retracted. For example, [t_-] is post-alveolar. |
|---|
| _N | Linguolabial. These marks are applied to alveolar symbols,
so [t_N] is a linguolabial plosive. |
|---|
| _d | Dental. Applied to alveolar symbols when it is necessary to make clear that a
sound is dental and not alveolar. Presumably [p_d] and [b_d] could be used
for labiodental stops. |
|---|
| _a | Apical |
|---|
| _m | Laminal |
|---|
Diacritics Specifying Secondary Articulation
| ~ | Nasalisation |
|---|
| ' | Palatalisation |
|---|
| ` | R-colouring (retroflexion) |
|---|
| _w | Labialisation |
|---|
| _G | Velarisation. Note that [l_G] may be abbreviated as [5] |
|---|
| _?\ | Pharyngealisation |
|---|
| _e | pharyngealised or velarised. Note that [l_e] may be abbreviated as [5] |
|---|
Phonation and Airstream Diacritics
| _h | Aspiration (underscore optional) |
|---|
| _0 | Voicelessness. Note that the symbol is zero. |
|---|
| _v | Voiced |
|---|
| _t | breathy voiced |
|---|
| _k | creaky voiced |
|---|
| _> | Ejective |
|---|
| _? | Ejective. This notation does not appear in the summary table, so it is
better to use _> instead. |
|---|
| _< | Implosive |
|---|
Release Mechanisms and Duration
| : | Long |
|---|
| = | Syllabic |
|---|
| _n | Nasal release |
|---|
| _l | Lateral release |
|---|
| _} | No audible release |
|---|
Vowels
Unrounded Vowels
| Front | | Central | | Back |
|---|
| Close | i | | 1 | | M |
|---|
| Lax close | | I | I\ | | |
|---|
| Close-mid | e | | @\ | | 7 |
|---|
| Mid | | | 3 | | |
|---|
| Open-mid | E | | | | V |
|---|
| Near-open | { | | 6 | | |
|---|
| Open | a | | | | A |
|---|
|
Rounded vowels
| Front | | Central | | Back |
|---|
| Close | y | | } | | u |
|---|
| Lax close | | Y | U\ | U | |
|---|
| Close-mid | 2 | | | | o |
|---|
| Mid | | | 8 | | |
|---|
| Open-mid | 9 | | 3\ | | O |
|---|
| Near-open | | | | | |
|---|
| Open | & | | | | Q |
|---|
|
Schwa is denoted [@].
Vowel Diacritics
| : | Long |
|---|
| :\ | Half-long |
|---|
| _X | Extra-short |
|---|
| ~ | Nasalised |
|---|
| ` | R-coloured (retroflex) |
|---|
| _?\ | Pharyngealised |
|---|
| _G | Velarised |
|---|
| _k | creaky voiced |
|---|
| _O | More rounded. Note that the symbol is a letter. |
|---|
| _c | Less rounded |
|---|
| _" | Centralised |
|---|
| _x | Mid centralised |
|---|
| _^ | Non-syllabic. |
|---|
| _r | Raised |
|---|
| _o | lowered |
|---|
| _A | Advanced tongue root |
|---|
| _q | Retracted tongue root |
|---|
| / | Indeterminacy in French |
|---|
Stress Marks
| " | Primary stress |
|---|
| % | Secondary stress |
|---|
Tone Marks
These may also be written by escaping to SAMPROSA, enclosing the SAMPROSA descrition in angle brackets.
Only the non-SAMPROSA methods are listed here. It appears that the tone marks should be written as
diacritics on the vowel.
Language Specific Convention
| _1 | Tone 1 |
|---|
| _2 | Tone 2 |
|---|
| _3 | Tone 3 |
|---|
| _4 | Tone 4 |
|---|
| _5 | Tone 5 |
|---|
| _6 | Tone 6 |
|---|
Unfortunately, this doesn't help when tones are identified by letters, as in East Asian
Comparative Linguistics.
Phonetic Description
Uses the 5 level scale. Varying pitches can be written as a sequence of levels.
| _T | Extra high |
|---|
| _H | High |
|---|
| _M | Mid |
|---|
| _L | Low |
|---|
| _B | Extra low |
|---|
| _R | Rising |
|---|
| _/ | Rising |
|---|
| _F | Falling |
|---|
| _\ | Falling |
|---|
Terrace Tones
