Phoneme

Validate against: http://json-schema.org/schema#

Description

An object representing a single phoneme in a language, and its allophones.

Type: object

Required Properties

  • ipa

Additional properties: true

Properties

  • Type: "type"

    Description

    The type of object. Must be set to Phoneme.

    Type: string

  • Airstream Mechanism: "airstream"

    Description

    The airstream mechanism used to pronounce this Phoneme. Pulmonic (egressive) sounds are created by pushing air out of the lungs. Ejective sounds are glottalic egressive sounds where the air column is compressed by upward movement of the glottis. Implosive sounds are glottalic ingressives where air is pulled in by a downward movement of the glottis. Click sounds, i.e. lingual / velaric ingressive sounds, pull air in with a downward movement of the tongue.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "click"
    • "ejective"
    • "implosive"
    • "ingressive"
    • "pulmonic"

    Default Value

    "pulmonic"
  • Allophones: "allophones"

    Description

    A list of allophones of this phoneme, following the same format as for Phoneme objects.

    Type: array

    Unique items: true

    Items

    Allophone

    Description

    An allophone of this phoneme. Allophones are formatted exactly the same way as Phoneme objects.

    Must be an instance of the # schema.

  • Backness: "backness"

    Description

    Describes the backness of a vowel.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "front"
    • "near-front"
    • "central"
    • "near-back"
    • "back"
  • Features: "features"

    Description

    A list of the phonemically distinctive features of this Phoneme. These are what are listed under diacritics in the IPA chart. For example, if a language distinguishes between a palatalized /t/ and a plain /t/, the first should include the feature palatalized and the second plain (or no features). Note that most features are also a manner of articulation as well, so it up to the linguist to decide when a given phonetic detail is a manner, or when it is a feature (i.e. a diacritic). For example, a language might distinguish phonemically between a palatal plosive /c/ and a palatalized plosive /tʲ/. The first would list palatal as its place of articulation, while the second would list palatalized as a distinctive feature. Do not include features here if they are already used for manner, unless your analysis is that this feature is both a manner and a feature of this phoneme, e.g. a palatalized palatal stop. This field is used primarily for consonants, but may also apply to vowels as well (e.g. the close and open features).

    Type: array

    Unique items: true

    Items

    Feature

    Description

    A phonemically distinctive feature, taken from the set of features (diacritics) in the IPA chart.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "advanced"
    • "advanced tongue root"
    • "affricativized"
    • "alveolar"
    • "apical"
    • "aspirated"
    • "breathy"
    • "centralized"
    • "close"
    • "creaky"
    • "dental"
    • "fortis"
    • "fricativized"
    • "labialized"
    • "laminal"
    • "lateral release"
    • "lax"
    • "lenis"
    • "lightly aspirated"
    • "linguolabial"
    • "lowered"
    • "mid-centralized"
    • "nasal release"
    • "nasalized"
    • "no release"
    • "non-syllabic"
    • "open"
    • "palatalized"
    • "pharyngealized"
    • "plain"
    • "raised"
    • "retracted"
    • "retracted tongue root"
    • "retroflexed"
    • "rhotic"
    • "rounded"
    • "sibilant"
    • "syllabic"
    • "tense"
    • "unrounded"
    • "velarized"
    • "voiced"
    • "voiceless"
    • "weakly aspirated"
  • Height: "height"

    Description

    The height of a vowel

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "close"
    • "near-close"
    • "close-mid"
    • "mid"
    • "open-mid"
    • "near-open"
    • "open"
  • IPA Transcription: "ipa"

    Description

    The IPA representation of this phoneme / allophone. Transcriptions of phonemes should contain only the phonemically contrastive sounds. Transcriptions of allophones should contain only the regularly-conditioned alternations.

    Type: string

    Min length: 1

  • Length: "length"

    Description

    The length of this phoneme, whether for consonants (e.g. short vs. geminate) or vowels

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "extra short"
    • "short"
    • "half long"
    • "long"
    • "extra long"
    • "geminate"
  • Manner of Articulation: "manner"

    Description

    The manner of articulation, for consonants. Only one manner of articulation may be listed. Additional manners must be listed under the features attribute. For example, the lateral fricative ɬ might have a manner set to fricative and a feature lateral, or vice versa, depending on the linguist’s analysis.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "affricate"
    • "approximate"
    • "flap"
    • "fricative"
    • "lateral"
    • "nasal"
    • "plosive"
    • "tap"
    • "trill"
  • Notes: "notes"

    Description

    Notes about this Phoneme

    Type: array

    Unique items: true

    Items

    Note

    Description

    A Note about this Phoneme

    Must be an instance of the Note schema.

  • Place of Articulation: "place"

    Description

    The place of articulation for consonants. Only one place of articulation may be listed. Additional places must be listed as features under the features attribute. For example, a palatalized alveolar /tʲ/ would list alveolar under manner, and palatalized under features.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "bilabial"
    • "labiodental"
    • "labiovelar"
    • "dental"
    • "alveolar"
    • "lateral"
    • "post-alveolar"
    • "alveo-palatal"
    • "palato-alveolar"
    • "retroflex"
    • "palatal"
    • "velar"
    • "uvular"
    • "pharyngeal"
    • "glottal"
    • "epiglottal"
  • Bibliographic References: "references"

    Description

    A collection of bibliographic references about this phoneme

    Type: array

    Unique items: true

    Items

    Bibliographic Reference

    Description

    A bibliographic reference

    Must be an instance of the BibliographicReference schema.

  • Rounding: "rounding"

    Description

    A description of the roundedness of a vowel. Only one type of roundedness may be listed. Rounded vowels may be listed as simply rounded, or more specifically as protruded or compressed.

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "compressed"
    • "protruded"
    • "rounded"
    • "unrounded"
  • Tags: "tags"

    Description

    A set of tags for this phoneme

    Must be an instance of the Tags schema.

  • Dipthong / Triphthong Target 1: "target1"

    Description

    For diphthongs or triphthongs, this should be a Phoneme object representing the features of the first target in the pronunciation of the diphthong/triphthong.

    Must be an instance of the # schema.

  • Dipthong / Triphthong Target 2: "target2"

    Description

    For diphthongs or thriphthongs, this should be a Phoneme object representing the features of the second target in the pronunciation of the diphthong/triphthong.

    Must be an instance of the # schema.

  • Triphthong Target 3: "target3"

    Description

    For triphthongs, this should be a Phoneme object representing the features of the third target in the pronunciation of the triphthong.

    Must be an instance of the # schema.

  • Tone: "tone"

    Description

    An abstract representation of the tone of this phoneme, e.g. H, 13, falling, etc.

    Type: string

  • Voicing: "voicing"

    Description

    Whether the phoneme is voiced, voiceless, or partially voiced

    Type: string

    Allowed Values (enum)

    • "semivoiced"
    • "voiced"
    • "voiceless"