- Tetragraph
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Tetragraph may also refer to Chinese characters.
A tetragraph (from the Greek: τετρα-, tetra-, "four" and γράφω, gráphō, "write") is a sequence of four letters used to represent a single sound (phoneme), or a combination of sounds, that do not necessarily correspond to the individual values of the letters. In German, for example, the tetragraph tsch represents the sound of the English digraph ch. English does not have tetragraphs in native words (the closest is perhaps the sequence -ough in words like through), but chth is a true tetragraph when found initially in words of Greek origin such as chthonian.
Phonemes spelled with multiple characters often indicate that either the phoneme or the script is alien to the language. For example, the Cyrillic alphabets adapted to the Caucasian languages, which are phonologically very different from Russian, make extensive use of digraphs, trigraphs, and even a tetragraph in Kabardian кхъу for /qʷ/. The Romanized Popular Alphabet created for the Hmong languages includes three tetragraphs: nplh, ntsh, and ntxh, which represent complex consonants.
Contents
List of tetragraphs
Irish tetragraphs
Used between two velarized ("broad") consonants:
- ⟨adha⟩ and ⟨agha⟩ are used for [əi̯] (in Donegal, [eː]).
- ⟨abha⟩, ⟨amha⟩, ⟨obha⟩, ⟨odha⟩, ⟨ogha⟩ are used for [əu̯] (in Donegal, [oː]).
- ⟨omha⟩ is used for [oː].
Used between two platalized ("slender") consonants:
- ⟨eidh⟩ and ⟨eigh⟩ are used for [əi̯].
Used between a broad and a slender consonant:
- ⟨aidh⟩ and ⟨aigh⟩ are used for [əi̯] (in Donegal, [eː]).
- ⟨oidh⟩ and ⟨oigh⟩ are used for [əi̯].
Used between a slender and a broad consonant:
- ⟨eabh⟩ and ⟨eamh⟩ are used for [əu̯] (in Donegal, [oː]).
- ⟨eadh⟩ is used for [əi̯] (in Donegal, [eː]) between a slender and a broad consonant, or for an unstressed [ə] at the end of a word.
Other languages (Latin script)
⟨chth⟩ is used for an initial sound /θ/ in English words of Greek origin such as chthonian. When not initial, it is pronounced /kθ/, as in autochthonous.
⟨ddzs⟩ is a long variant of Hungarian dzs. It is only found in suffixed words, such as bridzs + dzsel → briddzsel "with the bridge game"; otherwise the sound [dːʒ] is written ⟨dzs⟩ like [dʒ].
⟨dsch⟩ is used in German to write the sound [dʒ].
⟨eeuw⟩ and ⟨ieuw⟩ are used in Dutch for the sounds [eːu̯] and [iːu̯]. ⟨Uw⟩ alone stands for [yːu̯], so these sequences are not predictable.
⟨gqx’⟩ is used in the practical orthography of the Taa language, where it represents the prevoiced affricate [ɢqχʼ].
⟨illi⟩ is used in French to write the sound [j] in a few words such as médaillier [medaje].
⟨kngw⟩ is used for /ᵏŋʷ/ in Arrernte.
⟨ndlh⟩ [ndˡʱ], ⟨nplh⟩ [mbˡʱ], ⟨ntsh⟩ [ɳɖʐʱ], and ⟨ntxh⟩ [ndzʱ] are found in the Romanized Popular Alphabet used to write Hmong, representing a variety of prenasalized aspirate consonants.
⟨ng’w⟩ is used for [ŋʷ] in Swahili-based alphabets.
⟨nyng⟩ is used in Yanyuwa to write a pre-velar nasal, [ŋ̟].
⟨phth⟩ is read as an initial sound /θ/ or /fθ/ in English words of Greek origin such as phthisis. When not initial, it is usually pronounced /fθ/, as in naphthol., although sometimes /pθ/ can be heard.[1]
⟨rtnw⟩ is used for /ʈɳʷ/ in Arrernte.
⟨thsh⟩ is used in Xhosa to write the sound [tʃʰ]. It is often replaced with the ambiguous trigraph ⟨tsh⟩.
⟨thnw⟩ and ⟨tnhw⟩ are used for /ᵗ̪n̪ʷ/ in Arrernte.
⟨tnyw⟩ is used for /ᶜɲʷ/ in Arrernte.
⟨tsch⟩ is used in German to write the sound [tʃ]. (See also ⟨tzsch⟩.)
⟨zsch⟩ is used for [tʃ] in a few German names such as Zschopau.
Other languages (Cyrillic script)
In the Cyrillic alphabet used for languages of the Caucasus, there are tetragraphs as doubled digraphs used for 'strong' consonants (typically transcribed in the IPA as geminate), and also labialized homologues of trigraphs.
⟨кхъу⟩ is used in Kabardian for [qʷ], the labialized homologue of ⟨кхъ⟩ [q], in turn unpredictably derived from ejective ⟨къ⟩ [qʼ].
⟨кӀкӀ⟩ is used in Avar for [kʼː], the 'strong' homologue of ⟨кӀ⟩ [kʼ], the ejective (⟨Ӏ⟩) homologue of ⟨к⟩ [k]. It is often substituted with ⟨кӀ⟩ [kʼ].
⟨цӀцӀ⟩ is used in Avar for [tsʼː]. It is often substituted with ⟨цӀ⟩ [tsʼ].
⟨чӀчӀ⟩ is used in Avar for [tʃʼː]. It is often substituted with ⟨чӀ⟩ [tʃʼ].
⟨гъӀв⟩ is used in Archi for [ʁʷˤ]
⟨ккъӀ⟩ is used in Archi for [qːʼˤ]
⟨къIв⟩ is used in Archi for [qʼʷˤ]
⟨ллъв⟩ is used in Archi for [ɬːʷ]
⟨ххьI⟩ is used in Archi for [χːˤ]
⟨хъIв⟩ is used in Archi for [qʷˤ ]
⟨хьIв⟩ is used in Archi for [χʷˤ]
See also
References
Categories:- Orthography
- Tetragraphs
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