PPA signs (Consonants and Vowels)
Reproduction of PPA
The Pictographic Phonetic Alphabet as a Work, and each of the Pictographic Phonetic Alphabet characters and symbols as individual Works, are copyright © 2021 by Snejina Sonina. As of January 2021, they are made freely available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. This licence allows non-commercial use, as long as attribution is given and the reproduction is under the same licence. This licence does not authorize you to alter, transform, or build upon this work. See https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode for the complete terms.
Attribution:
Pictographic Phonetic Alphabet, https://ppa4ipa.com, is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported licence in respect of the Pictographic Phonetic Alphabet as a Work, and in respect of each character and symbol as a distinct individual Work. Copyright © 2021 Snejina Sonina. Extended licences available as expressly authorized in writing by Snejina Sonina, <>
PPA Characters
PDF file with the first version of Pictographic Phonetic Alphabet is here.
PPA characters for pulmonic CONSONANTS of the IPA
N | Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Pharyngeal | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ||||||||||||
2 | ||||||||||||
3 | ||||||||||||
4 | ||||||||||||
5 | ||||||||||||
6 | ||||||||||||
7 | ||||||||||||
8 |
PPA characters for SEMIVOWELS of the IPA
Semivowels or semiconsonants or approximants | Front | Central | Back | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrounded | Rounded | Unrounded | Rounded | Unrounded | Rounded | |
PPA characters for VOWELS of the IPA
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | |||
Close-mid | |||
Open-mid | |||
Open | |||
Rounded / Unrounded or (the oval is a more realistic representation used in animations) |
Sound recordings on the IPA website
PPA characters for NASAL VOWELS
PPA Inventory
Under development.
Additional symbols for phonological features (DIACRITICS in IPA)
N | Symbols | Meaning | Icon = pictographic metaphor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Voiced [+voice] (unnecessary for sounds voiced by definition: vowels, nasals, etc.) | Wavy shape & place = sound wave from the vocal cords | |
2 | Creaky voiced | Arrow head = sharpness | |
3 | Breathy voiced | Spiraling shape = breath & air | |
4 | Aspirated | Spiraling shape & place = puff of air | |
5 | Voiceless | Crossed bars = blocked way |
Symbols for MODES OF ARTICULATION for consonants
N | Symbols | Meaning | Pictographic metaphor – combination of icons |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Plosive | Sudden and single movement of interacting surfaces | |
2 | Trill | Repetitive interaction of surfaces, vibration | |
3 | Tap or flap | Single tap of one surface on another | |
4 | Fricative | Surfaces rubbing against one another | |
5 | Lateral | Free movement on the sides of interacting surfaces | |
6 | Lateral fricative | Combination of 4 & 5 | |
7 | Affricate | Late release, movement occur only on a second try | |
8 | Clicks | Two points of contact ( ! = loudest consonants ) | |
9 | Implosives | Ingressive and egressive airstream mechanism | |
10 | Ejectives | Simultaneous closure of the glottis, air ejection |
Symbols for SUPRASEGMETALS
N | Symbols | Meaning | Pictographic metaphor |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Primary stress | The biggest = most stressed | |
2 | Secondary stress | Second biggest = less stressed | |
3 | Long | Length of the symbol = length of the sound | |
4 | Half-long | Length of the symbol = length of the sound | |
5 | Extra-short | Length of the symbol = length of the sound | |
6 | Syllable break or syllable unity | Meander like linked symbols = syllable pronounced as a sound unite | |
7 | Minor group (foot) | Same as IPA | |
8 | Major group (intonation) | Same as IPA | |
9 | Linking (absence of break) | Same as IPA |