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Metamor Keep (MÉT-ə-mōr KĒP) contains many odd names for characters, places, and even weapons, so it's often not immediately obvious how to pronounce a given word when you first see it in print. Articles in this wiki will contain phonetic notation for some of the more baffling words and phrases; the following is a key that you can use to interpret the phonetic symbols used on the wiki.
Basic guidelines for phonetic notation
While the International Phonetic Alphabet is arguably the most specific way to show the pronunciation of a word, it is difficult for the uninitiated to use and makes it hard to tell at a glance what the pronunciation should be. In order to keep things easier for writers and readers alike, this wiki will instead use the English phonetic alphabet used by many American dictionaries.1
Syllables & Emphasis (SÍL-ə-búlz ÁND ÍM-fə-sís)
Syllables are separated by hyphens (-). A syllable that has emphasis is written in CAPS, while unstressed syllables are written in lower case.
Basic Vowels (BĀ-sək VÄŪ-əlz)
Most vowels in English can make two sounds, the short form and the long form. In this wiki the short form will be indicated by an acute accent mark (́́́´) over the letter, while the long form will be indicated by a macron (ˉ), or "bar". If the vowel has a third form, such as the broad a, it will be indicated by a diaerisis (or "double dots") over the letter (ä).
There is also a vowel sound that can be used with any of the written vowels, depending on the word. This sound, called schwa, is found only in unemphasized syllables, and it is the shortest and least distinct vowel sound in the English language. Schwa is represented by an inverted e (ə); examples of its use include the a in about, the e in taken, the i in pencil, the o in eloquent, and the u in circus.
| Vowel Sounds | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Symbol | Name | Example | Unicode # |
| á/Á | Short A | cat | 00E1 / 00C1 |
| ā/Ā | Long A | mate | 0101 / 0100 |
| ä/Ä | Broad A | father | 00E4 / 00C4 |
| é/É | Short E | pet | 00E9 / 00C9 |
| ē/Ē | Long E | weed | 0113 / 0112 |
| í/Í | Short I | pin | 00ED / 00CD |
| ī/Ī | Long I | might | 012B / 012A |
| ó/Ó | Short O | pot | 00F3 / 00D3 |
| ō/Ō | Long O | boat | 014D / 014C |
| ú/Ú | Short U | but | 00FE/00DA |
| ū/Ū | Long U | chute | 016B / 016A |
| ə | Schwa | a in about | 0259 |
Dipthongs (DÍP-ÞÓŊZ)
Some vowel sounds are not fully represented by any one character because they are actually a blend of two sounds, with one being rolled into the other in a single syllable. These dipthongs are represented by using the two component vowels together.
Examples:
about becomes (ə-BÄŪT)
cause becomes (KÄÚZ)
seer becomes (SĒÚR)
Be careful not to confuse a dipthong with a basic vowel that happens to be written as two letters, such as boot (BŪT). If the sound can be represented with one of the twelve basic vowel symbols, it should be.
Semivowels (SÉ-mī-VÄŪ-əlz)
The letters W and Y are often treated like consonants in English, and occasionally treated like vowels, but in reality each of them is an alternate way of writing a combination of two or more vowels. The exact nature of the vowels that W or Y stand for depends on which vowels and consonants appear in the word. In the phonetic notation used on this wiki, W and Y will be replaced with whatever vowels sounds comprise they represent. In the case of W, it is sometimes combined with an expelled breath (e.g. whale); this will be represented by an H at the beginning of the syllable.
Examples:
win becomes (ÚÍN)
whale becomes (HÚĀ-əl)
why becomes (HÚÄĪ)
you becomes (ÍŪ)
yes becomes (ÍÉS)
Consonants (CÄN-sə-nénts)
English has a wide variety of consonants. Some of them are represented by a single letter, some by a combination of letters, and some by more than one letter depending on the word.
Most consonants can be organized by where they are formed in the mouth (the place of articulation); whether they are voiced or unvoiced; and whether the airstream becomes turbulent while pronouncing them (fricatives) or remains unobstructed (plain). There are also nasals, which are sounded through the nose instead of the mouth, and an assortment of other sounds (here called secondary consonants) that do not fit into the primary classification scheme.
| Primary Consonants | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Articulation | ||||
| Type | Alveolar2 | Bilabial3 | Velar4 | Uvular5 |
| Unvoiced Plain | t/T (tiny) | p/P (pot) | k/K (car, kind) | q/Q (quiet) |
| Voiced Plain | d/D (dog) | b/B (boy) | g/G (girl) | g/G (Gwyneth)6 |
| Unvoiced Fricative | þ/Þ (thin)7 | f/F (fine, phrase) | ch/CH (chime) | kh/KH (ankh, Achtung) |
| Voiced Fricative | ð/Ð (then, they)8 | v/V (voice) | j/J (jump) | gh9 |
| Nasals | n/N (noise) | m/M (mate) | n/N (change) | ŋ/Ŋ (ring)10 |
| Secondary Consonants | |
|---|---|
| Rhotic | r/R (ring) |
| Liquid | l/L (life)) |
| Sibilant Unvoiced Plain | s/S (sound) |
| Sibilant Voiced Plain | z/Z (vowels, zebra) |
| Sibilant Unvoiced Fricative | sh/SH (shield) |
| Sibilant Voiced Fricative | zh/ZH (fusion, azure) |
| Central Unvoiced Fricative | h/H (holy) |
