Template:IPAsym/doc

< Template:IPAsym
This page contains special characters. Without the correct software, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.

This template provides a simple conversion table from an IPA symbol to a Wikipedia article name.

The resulting article name should exist. The input symbol may be multiple characters, or may be a sequence of IPA-numbers.

Usage

This template has one parameter that is mandatory. The parameter can be an IPA symbol, or an IPA-number. Do not use template {{IPA}} for the input character.

{{IPAsym|m}} → bilabial nasal
{{IPAsym|114}} → bilabial nasal
{{IPAsym|ɡ͡b}} → voiced labial-velar plosive

Possible errors

  • The first parameter is required:
{{IPAsym}}Error using {{IPAsym}}: No input
  • If the input argument does not exist in the IPAsym internal list, an error message is returned.
{{IPAsym|pʰɪk}}Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "pʰɪk" not found in list

This may indicate that you have mistyped the input, or that the translation is not (yet) present in the IPAsym list. An editor can add the link.

  • Using the {{IPA}} template will break the workings:
{{IPAsym|{{IPA|p}}}}Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "p" not found in list
  • Optionally, an error text can be altered from the default red error message to any text (including a blank) by using the second parameter:
{{IPAsym|pʰɪk}}Error using {{IPAsym}}: IPA symbol "pʰɪk" not found in list
{{IPAsym|pʰɪk|unknown}} → unknown (parameter 2 used)
{{IPAsym|pʰɪk||}} → (empty string)
Input position 3 overrules only the errormessage "no input", the other one will show unchanged.
{{IPAsym|||input to be checked}} → input to be checked (using input position #3)

Notes

  • Its direct use is probably not too meaningful, but it can be useful inside other templates, e.g. {{IPAlink}}. It is a meta-template.

Editing: extending this template

Note: any symbol (that is, the single bunch of letters and diacritics) may only appear once in the template. If not, the template might produce unexpected results.

It is possible to map more than one symbol to the same sound. IPA-numbers for the symbol should be added in the same fashion. For clarity, please make them "fall through" to the last case, like this:

  | 424
  | ɑ̃
  | ɛ̃
  | œ̃
  | ɔ̃ = nasal vowel

Important note on changing names
Most of the current output names correspond with the default soundfile name for that IPA-symbol:

  • bilabial nasal → bilabial nasal.ogg

If a name change away from e.g. this 'bilabial nasal' is needed, for example when the article has moved to another name, one should also add that change to ^^tlx>IPA audio filename}}, or change the name of the soundfile (source itself), using {{media rename}} at the file Media:bilabial nasal.ogg. If this is omitted, the soundfile wil not be found any more, and a soundbutton is broken.

Technical notes

Just statistics:

  • As of November 2010, there are 566 lines (i.e. 566 recognised inputs). Of these, 181 are IPA numbers. The 566 inputs lead to 201 outputs (201 Wikipedia article names, that are also the phnonetic descriptions).
  • As of October 2011, there are 726 lines (i.e. 726 recognised inputs). The 726 inputs lead to 249 outputs (249 Wikipedia article names, that are also the phnonetic descriptions).
  • As of October 2011, repeated output is (the next output (article names) occur twice in the list. That is not bad, just notable when changes are made):
advanced and retracted tongue root
alveolar lateral ejective affricate
IPA
relative articulation#Advanced and retracted
relative articulation#Raised and lowered
roundedness
Velarization
voiceless palatal lateral fricative
voiceless retroflex lateral fricative
voiceless velar lateral fricative

In the same check, no repeated inputs were discovered (which would be bad and confusing).

Related templates

  • {{IPAlink}} – Displays an IPA symbol which is automatically linked to its sound article: β → β
  • {{IPAblink}} – As {{IPAlink}}, enclosed in square brackets: [β]
  • {{IPAslink}} – As {{IPAlink}}, enclosed in slashes: /β/
  • {{IPA soundbox}} - Create a box with an sound sample link to an IPA-symbol (sound)
  • {{IPA audio filename}} - Produces the name of the soundfile
  • {{infobox IPA}}, which uses the IPA-number here to provide the name of the corresponding article.