X-SAMPA

The Extended SAM Phonetic Alphabet (X-SAMPA) is a variant of SAMPA developed in 1995 by John C. Wells, professor of phonetics at the University of London. It was designed to unify the individual language SAMPA alphabets, and extend SAMPA to cover the entire range of characters in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

The result is a SAMPA-inspired recasting of the IPA into 7-bit ASCII.

Summary

Notes

• The IPA symbols that are ordinary lower-case letters have the same value in X-SAMPA as they do in the IPA.
• X-SAMPA uses a following backslash as an escape character to create a new symbol. For example O is a distinct sound from O\, to which it bears no relation.
• X-SAMPA diacritics follow the symbols they modify. Except for ~ for nasalization, = for syllabicity, and ` for retroflexion and rhotacization, diacritics are joined to the character with the underscore character _.
• The underscore character is also used to encode the IPA tiebar.
• The numbers _1 to _6 are reserved diacritics as shorthand for language-specific tone numbers.

Lowercase symbols

XS	IPA	IPA as impage	Description	Examples
a	a		open front unrounded vowel	French dame [dam], Spanish padre ["paD4e]
b	b		voiced bilabial plosive	English bed [bEd], French bon [bO~]
b_<	ɓ		voiced bilabial implosive	Sindhi ɓarʊ [b_<arU]
c	c		voiceless palatal plosive	Hungarian latyak ["lAcAk]
d	d		voiced alveolar plosive	English dig [dIg], French doigt [dwa]
d`	ɖ		voiced retroflex plosive	Swedish hord [hu:d`]
d_<	ɗ		voiced alveolar implosive	Sindhi ɗarʊ [d_<arU]
e	e		close-mid front unrounded vowel	French ses [se]
f	f		voiceless labiodental fricative	English five [faIv], French femme [fam]
g	ɡ		voiced velar plosive	English game [geIm], French longue [lO~g]
g_<	ɠ		voiced velar implosive	Sindhi ɠəro [g_<@ro]
h	h		voiceless glottal fricative	English house [haUs]
h\	ɦ		voiced glottal fricative	Czech hrad [h\rat]
i	i		close front unrounded vowel	English be [bi:], French oui [wi], Spanish si [si]
j	j		palatal approximant	English yes [jEs], French yeux [j2]
j\	ʝ		voiced palatal fricative	Greek γειά [j\a]
k	k		voiceless velar plosive	English scat [sk{t], Spanish carro ["kar:o]
l	l		alveolar lateral approximant	English lay [leI], French mal [mal]
l`	ɭ		retroflex lateral approximant	Svealand Swedish sorl [so:l`]
l\	ɺ		alveolar lateral flap	Japanese phoneme /r/
m	m		bilabial nasal	English mouse [maUs], French homme [Om]
n	n		alveolar nasal	English nap [n{p], French non [nO~]
n`	ɳ		retroflex nasal	Swedish hörn [h2:n`]
o	o		close-mid back rounded vowel	French gros [gRo]
p	p		voiceless bilabial plosive	English speak [spik], French pose [poz], Spanish perro ["per:o]
p\	ɸ		voiceless bilabial fricative	Japanese fuku [p\M_0kM]
q	q		voiceless uvular plosive	Arabic qasbah ["qQs_Gba]
r	r		alveolar trill	Spanish perro ["per:o]
r`	ɽ		retroflex flap
r\	ɹ		alveolar approximant	English red [r\Ed]
r\`	ɻ		retroflex approximant	Malayalam വഴി ["v6r\`i]
s	s		voiceless alveolar fricative	English seem [si:m], French session [se"sjO~]
s`	ʂ		voiceless retroflex fricative	Swedish mars [mas`]
s\	ɕ		voiceless alveolo-palatal fricative	Polish świerszcz [s\v'erStS]
t	t		voiceless alveolar plosive	English stew [stju:], French raté [Ra"te], Spanish tuyo ["tujo]
t`	ʈ		voiceless retroflex plosive	Swedish mört [m2t`]
u	u		close back rounded vowel	English boom [bu:m], Spanish su [su]
v	v		voiced labiodental fricative	English vest [vEst], French voix [vwa]
v\ (or P)	ʋ		labiodental approximant	Dutch west [v\Est]/[PEst]
w	w		labial-velar approximant	English west [wEst], French oui [wi]
x	x		voiceless velar fricative	Scots loch [lQx]
x\	ɧ		voiceless palatal-velar fricative	Swedish sjal [x\A:l]
y	y		close front rounded vowel	French tu [ty] German über ["y:b6]
z	z		voiced alveolar fricative	English zoo [zu:], French azote [a"zOt]
z`	ʐ		voiced retroflex fricative	Mandarin Chinese rang [z`aN]
z\	ʑ		voiced alveolo-palatal fricative	Polish źrebak ["z\rEbak]

Uppercase symbols

XS	IPA	IPA	Description	Example
A	ɑ		open back unrounded vowel	English father ["fA:D@(r\)] (RP and Gen.Am.)
B	β		voiced bilabial fricative	Spanish lavar [la"Ba4]
B\	ʙ		bilabial trill	Reminiscent of shivering ("brrr")
C	ç		voiceless palatal fricative	German ich [IC], English human ["Cjum@n] (broad transcription uses [hj-])
D	ð		voiced dental fricative	English then [DEn]
E	ɛ		open-mid front unrounded vowel	French même [mEm], English met [mEt]
F	ɱ		labiodental nasal	English emphasis ["EFf@sIs] (spoken quickly, otherwise uses [Emf-])
G	ɣ		voiced velar fricative	Greek γωνία [Go"nia], Danish vælge ["vElG@]
G\	ɢ		voiced uvular plosive	Inuktitut nirivvik [niG\ivvik]
G\_<	ʛ		voiced uvular implosive	Mam ʛa [G\_<a]
H	ɥ		labial-palatal approximant	French huit [Hi]
H\	ʜ		voiceless epiglottal fricative
I	ɪ		near-close near-front unrounded vowel	English kit [kIt]
I\	Ɨ		central lax close unrounded vowel, not in IPA	Polish ryba [rI\bA]
J	ɲ		palatal nasal	Spanish año ["aJo], English canyon ["k{J@n] (broad transcription uses [-nj-])
J\	ɟ		voiced palatal plosive	Hungarian egy [EJ\]
J\_<	ʄ		voiced palatal implosive	Sindhi ʄaro [J\_<aro]
K	ɬ		voiceless alveolar lateral fricative	Welsh llaw [KaU]
K\	ɮ		voiced alveolar lateral fricative
L	ʎ		palatal lateral approximant	Italian famiglia [fa"miLa], Castilian llamar [La"mar], English million ["mIL@n] (broad transcription uses [-lj-])
L\	ʟ		velar lateral approximant
M	ɯ		close back unrounded vowel	Korean 으 (eu)
M\	ɰ		velar approximant	Spanish fuego ["fweM\o]
N	ŋ		velar nasal	English thing [TIN]
N\	ɴ		uvular nasal	Japanese san [saN\]
O	ɔ		open-mid back rounded vowel	British English thought [TO:t], American English off [O:f]
O\	ʘ		bilabial click
P (or v\)	ʋ		labiodental approximant	Dutch west [PEst]/[v\Est], allophone of English phoneme /r\/
Q	ɒ		open back rounded vowel	British English lot [lQt]
R	ʁ		voiced uvular fricative	French roi [Rwa]
R\	ʀ		uvular trill	German phoneme /r/
S	ʃ		voiceless postalveolar fricative	English ship [SIp]
T	θ		voiceless dental fricative	English thin [TIn]
U	ʊ		near-close near-back rounded vowel	English foot [fUt]
U\	ʊ̵		central lax close rounded vowel, not in IPA
V	ʌ		open-mid back unrounded vowel	RP English strut [str\Vt]
W	ʍ		voiceless labial-velar fricative	Scots when [WEn]
X	χ		voiceless uvular fricative	Klallam sχaʔqʷaʔ [sXa?q_wa?]
X\	ħ		voiceless pharyngeal fricative	Arabic <ح>ha’ [X\A:]
Y	ʏ		near-close near-front rounded vowel	German hübsch [hYpS]
Z	ʒ		voiced postalveolar fricative	English vision ["vIZ@n]

Other symbols

XS	IPA	IPA	Description	Example
.	.		syllable break
"	ˈ		primary stress
%	ˌ		secondary stress
' (or _j)	ʲ		palatalized
:	ː		long
:\	ˑ		half long	Estonian differentiates three vowel lengths
-			separator
@	ə		schwa	English arena [@"r\i:n@]
@\	ɘ		close-mid central unrounded vowel	Paicĩ kɘ̄ɾɘ [k@\_M4@\_M]
{	æ		near-open front unrounded vowel	English trap [tr\{p]
}	ʉ		close central rounded vowel	Swedish sju [x\}:]; AuE/NZE boot [b}:t]
1	ɨ		close central unrounded vowel	Welsh tu [t1], American English rose's ["r\oUz1z]
2	ø		close-mid front rounded vowel	Danish købe ["k2:b@], French deux [d2]
3	ɜ		open-mid central unrounded vowel	English nurse [n3:s] (RP) or [n3`s] (Gen.Am.)
3\	ɞ		open-mid central rounded vowel	Irish tomhail[t3\:l']
4	ɾ		alveolar flap	Spanish pero ["pe4o], American English better ["bE4@`]
5	ɫ		velarized alveolar lateral approximant; also see _e	English milk [mI5k]
6	ɐ		near-open central vowel	German besser ["bEs6], Australian English mud [m6d]
7	ɤ		close-mid back unrounded vowel	Estonian kõik [k7ik], Occurs in Vietnamese
8	ɵ		close-mid central rounded vowel	Swedish buss [b8s]
9	œ		open-mid front rounded vowel	French neuf [n9f], Danish drømme [dR9m@]
&	ɶ		open front rounded vowel
?	ʔ		glottal stop	Danish stød [sd2?], Cockney English bottle ["bQ?l]
?\	ʕ		voiced pharyngeal fricative	Arabic ع‎ (`ayn) [?\Ajn]
*			undefined escape character, SAMPA's "conjunctor"
/			indeterminacy in French vowels
<			begin nonsegmental notation (e.g., SAMPROSA)
<\	ʢ		voiced epiglottal fricative
>			end nonsegmental notation
>\	ʡ		epiglottal plosive
^	↑		upstep
!	↓		downstep
!\	ǃ		postalveolar click
|			minor (foot) group
|\	ǀ		dental click
||			major (intonation) group
|\|\	ǁ		lateral alveolar click
=\	ǂ		palatal click
-\	̮		linking mark

Diacritics

XS	IPA	IPA	Description
_"	̈		centralized
_+	̟		advanced
_-	̠		retracted
_/	ˇ		rising tone
_0	̥		voiceless
_<			implosive (IPA uses separate symbols for implosives)
= (or _=)	̩		syllabic
_>	ʼ		ejective
_?\	ˤ		pharyngealized
_\	ˆ		falling tone
_^	̯		non-syllabic
_}	̚		no audible release
`	˞		rhotacization in vowels, retroflexion in consonants (IPA uses separate symbols for consonants, see t` for an example)
~ (or _~)	̃		nasalization
_A	̘		advanced tongue root
_a	̺		apical
_B	̏		extra low tone
_B_L			low rising tone
_c	̜		less rounded
_d	̪		dental
_e	̴		velarized or pharyngealized; also see 5
<F>			global fall
_F	̂		falling tone
_G	ˠ		velarized
_H	́		high tone
_H_T			high rising tone
_h	ʰ		aspirated
_j (or ')	ʲ		palatalized
_k	̰		creaky voice
_L	̀		low tone
_l	ˡ		lateral release
_M	̄		mid tone
_m	̻		laminal
_N	̼		linguolabial
_n	ⁿ		nasal release
_O	̹		more rounded
_o	̞		lowered
_q	̙		retracted tongue root
<R>			global rise
_R	̌		rising tone
_R_F			rising falling tone
_r	̝		raised
_T	̋		extra high tone
_t	̤		breathy voice
_v	̬		voiced
_w	ʷ		labialized
_X	̆		extra-short
_x	̽		mid-centralized

See also

• International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)
• International Phonetic Alphabet for English
• SAMPA, a language-specific predecessor of X-SAMPA.
• CXS, an unofficial, extended version of X-SAMPA used for language construction
• SAMPA chart for English
• Kirshenbaum, a similar system.
• List of phonetics topics

External links

• Computer-coding the IPA: A proposed extension of SAMPA
• Online converter between IPA and X-Sampa