Digraph (orthography)
From Academic Kids
A digraph or bigraph is a pair of letters used to write one sound. This is often, but not necessarily, a sound (or more precisely a phoneme) which cannot be expressed using a single letter in the alphabet used for writing.
Sometimes, when digraphs do not represent a new phoneme, they are a relic from an earlier period in the language's history when they did (or remain phonemic only in certain dialects, e.g. wh in English).
Transliteration makes extensive use of digraphs.
There are three kinds of digraphs: sequences, reversals (really a special kind of sequence) and doubled letters.
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Sequences
This is a group of two letters, both of which are different.
Examples from languages include:
- Basque
- tx, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar affricate)
- Czech
- ch, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless velar fricative)
- Dutch
- ch, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless velar fricative)
- eu, corresponds to Template:IPA (close-mid front rounded vowel)
- ie, corresponds to Template:IPA (close front unrounded vowel)
- ng, corresponds to Template:IPA (velar nasal)
- oe, corresponds to Template:IPA (close back rounded vowel)
- sj, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
- English
- ch, usually corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar affricate) or Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
- th, usually corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless interdental fricative) or Template:IPA, (voiced interdental fricative)
- sh, corresponds to Template:IPA, (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
- ng, corresponds to Template:IPA (velar nasal)
- kn, corresponds to Template:IPA (alveolar nasal)
- ph, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless labiodental fricative)
- gh, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless labiodental fricative) or is silent
- ck, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless velar plosive)
- ea, ie, ei correspond mostly to Template:IPA (close front unrounded vowel)
- ai, ay correspond mostly to Template:IPA (close-mid front unrounded vowel)
- ue corresponds to Template:IPA (close back unrounded vowel)
- French
- ai, equivalent to è, corresponds to Template:IPA (open-mid front unrounded vowel)
- au, corresponds to Template:IPA (close-mid back rounded vowel)
- ch, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
- ou, corresponds to Template:IPA (close back rounded vowel) or Template:IPA (labio-velar approximant)
- gn, corresponds to Template:IPA (palatal nasal)
- qu, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless velar stop), typically before historic front vowels
- See also French phonology and orthography
- Polish
- dz
- dzi
- dź
- dż
- ch
- rz
- sz as sh in English
- Portuguese
- ch, like sh in English
- lh, similar to ll in Spanish, like lli in English million
- nh, similar to ñ in Spanish, like ny in English canyon
- qu, as k in English
- sc
- xc
- ss, provides for silibant s between two vowels, where single s is pronounced like English z
- rr, throaty r sound in middle of words
- Spanish
- ch, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless postalveolar affricate)
- ll
- Welsh
- ch, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless uvular fricative), similar to French "r"
- ng, corresponds to Template:IPA (velar nasal), the same sound as in English
- ph, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless labiodental fricative)
- rh, corresponds to Template:IPA a voiceless R, pronounced roughly like the English combination HR
- th, corresponds to Template:IPA (voiceless interdental fricative)
Reversals
Reversals are sequences in which both possible orders of letters are common enough to be digraphs.
- English
- re corresponds to Template:IPA
- le corresponds to Template:IPA
Doubled letters
These have both letters the same. In some languages these indicate length, a stressed syllable or a new sound, and in some cases they are just part of the spelling convention. Ll is the most common in English, though it represents no new sound, but that is not the case in other languages; Welsh's ll is a voiceless lateral, and in Spanish it is a palatalized l Template:IPA (Castilian only) or else a palatal fricative. Ee and oo are common examples from English. Rr in Spanish and Portuguese indicates a trill, and forms minimal pairs with the single r. Italian's zz represents the affricate Template:IPA.
- English
- ll corresponds to Template:IPA (voiced alveolar lateral approximant)
- ee corresponds to Template:IPA (close front unrounded vowel)
- oo corresponds to Template:IPA (close back unrounded vowel)
- Welsh
- dd, a voiced dental fricative, like English then
- ff, the voiceless labiodental fricative, Template:IPA (like English f, as Welsh F is pronounced like English V)
- ll, a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative, Template:IPA (see Welsh pronunciation guide for more details)
See also
als:Digraph de:Digraph (Linguistik) fr:Digramme io:Digramo ja:二重音字 sv:Digraf
