Template:Respell
This template formats pronounciation respellings of English words, and links to the respelling key at Wikiversity:Pronunciation respelling key. It formats stressed syllables with bold, small-cap text. For example, the word "perfume" is respelled "pər-FEWM"; using this template, the formatting is:
The formatting is: stressed syllables are in bold small caps, unstressed syllables are in lowercase. All text is in italics, and is wikilinked to the pronounciation key page.
Do not separate every syllable with a pipe: join unstressed syllables with a hyphen, and only use a pipe to separate them from stressed syllables.
How to use[edit source]
Once you have available the spelling syllables, you can put them in the {{respell}} template. To start with, one syllable per parameter (without dashes) does it. But there are situations, regarding stressing, that require more attention.
1. The template accepts up to seven syllables (parameters), separated by a pipe ("|"). The pipes are automatically replaced by hyphens, and they alternate the stressing: {{Respell|1|2|3|4|5|6|7}} → 1-2-3-4-5-6-7. If more parameters (syllables) are needed, just use two templates.
2. When unstressed syllables follow one another (– . . .), they need to be hyphenated together in a single parameter:
- {{Respell|AL|gə-ridh-əm}} → AL-gə-ridh-əm (algorithm)
3. Stressed syllables are counted from the last syllable backwards: the second-last, fourth-last, and sixth-last parameters are formatted as stressed. The other parameters are unstressed (. – .– . – .):
- {{Respell|ə|RAK|nə|FOH|bee-ə}} → ə-RAK-nə-FOH-bee-ə (arachnophobia)
4. When the final syllable is stressed (. –), one needs to add an extra apostrophe parameter:
5. Note: Case in the input is ignored:
- {{Respell|ə|rak|nə|foh|bee-ə}} → ə-rak-nə-foh-bee-ə
- {{Respell|Ə|RAK|NƏ|FOH|BEE-Ə}} → Ə-RAK-NƏ-FOH-BEE-Ə
- {{Respell|ə|rak|nə|foh|bee-ə}} → ə-rak-nə-foh-bee-ə
Where to use[edit source]
On Wikiversity, respelling is most commonly used to clarify the pronunciation of a name or topic in the lead section or introductory paragraph. Per the Manual of Style, respelling should follow the International Phonetic Alphabet, and never be used in place of it. The template provides a link to the key so that readers may easily look up how to pronounce the word. For example:
- Worcestershire (pronounced /ˈwʊstərʃər/ WUUS-tər-shər) is a county located in central England.
'''Worcestershire''' ({{IPA-en|ˈwʊstərʃər|pron}} {{Respell|WUUS|tər-shər}}) is a county located in central [[England]].
The respelling key covers only English pronunciation, and should not be used for foreign names or words which have not been assimilated into English. If you need help transcribing the pronunciation into the IPA, please ask at Wikiversity talk:IPA for English.
When not to use[edit source]
The transcription may supplement the IPA in many cases, but it is not adequate for general use. For example, MOW and TOW are poor transcriptions, because people will tend to read them incorrectly as Moe, toe rather than as Mao, Tao, which is what they actually transcribe. The metal cobalt is likewise impractical to transcribe with this system, because people will invariably read KOH-bolt incorrectly, as rhyming with molt and dolt. (This cannot be easily fixed; *KOH-balt and *KOH-bahlt have the wrong vowel.) In such problematic cases, rhymes, sound-alikes, or {{USdict}} transcription may be better choices.
Examples[edit source]
Here are examples of how to use the template for words with different numbers of syllables and different stress patterns:
| Pattern | Example | Coding | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No stress | . | of | {{Respell|uv}} | uv |
| Two syllables, first one stressed | – . | Ceres | {{Respell|SEER|eez}} | SEER-eez |
| Three syllables, middle one stressed | . – . | Haumea | {{Respell|how|MAY|ə}} | how-MAY-ə |
| Stress followed by multiple unstressed syllables | – . . . | algorithm | {{Respell|AL|gə-ridh-əm}} | AL-gə-ridh-əm |
| Two stressed syllables | – . – . | Makemake | {{Respell|MAH|kee|MAH|kee}} | MAH-kee-MAH-kee |
| Two stressed syllables with strings of unstressed syllables | . . – . . – . . . . | disestablishmentarianism | {{Respell|dis-ə|STAB|lish-mən|TAIR|ee-ən-iz-əm}} | dis-ə-STAB-lish-mən-TAIR-ee-ən-iz-əm |
| Monosyllable with stress | – | Pan | {{Respell|PAN|'}} | PAN |
| Two syllables, final stress | . – | perfume | {{Respell|pər|FEWM|'}} | pər-FEWM |
| Two stressed syllables, first and final | – . . – | overconsume Azerbaijan |
{{Respell|OH|vər-kən|SEWM|'}} {{Respell|AZ|ər-by|JAHN|'}} |
OH-vər-kən-SEWM AZ-ər-by-JAHN |
| Space issues | ||||
| Too many syllables for one template | if you wish upon a star | {{Respell|IF|ew|WISH|ə-}}{{Respell|PON|ə|STAR|'}} | IF-ew-WISH-ə-PON-ə-STAR | |
| Word break fits inside a parameter | betting odds | {{Respell|BET|ing odz}} | BET-ing odz | |
| Word break does not fit inside a parameter | Jazze Pha | {{Respell|JAZ|ee}} {{Respell|FAY|'}} | JAZ-ee FAY | |
See also[edit source]
- Wikiversity:IPA for English
- Wikiversity:Pronunciation respelling key
- Category:Articles with Respell issues: pages with possible errors when using this template.
IPA formatting templates for English: