Dependent Vowels
The Khmer script uses dependent vowels, or diacritical vowels, to modify the inherent vowels of consonants. Dependent vowels are known in Khmer as srăk nissăy (ស្រៈនិស្ស័យ) or srăk phsâm (ស្រៈផ្សំ). Dependent vowels must always be combined with a consonant in orthography. For most of the vowel symbols, there are two sounds (registers). The sound of the vowel used depends on the series (the inherent vowel) of the dominant consonant in a syllable cluster.
| Dependent vowels |
UN romanization | IPA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a-series | o-series | a-series | o-series | |
| អា | a | éa | aː | iːə |
| អិ | ĕ | ĭ | e | i |
| អី | ei | i | əj | iː |
| អឹ | œ̆ | ə | ɨ | |
| អឺ | œ | əːɨ | ɨː | |
| អុ | ŏ | ŭ | o | u |
| អូ | o | u | oːu | uː |
| អួ | uŏ | uːə | ||
| អើ | aeu | eu | aːə | əː |
| អឿ | eua | ɨːə | ||
| អៀ | iĕ | iːə | ||
| អេ | é | eːi | eː | |
| អែ | ê | aːe | ɛː | |
| អៃ | ai | ey | aj | ɨj |
| អោ | aô | oŭ | aːo | oː |
| អៅ | au | ŏu | aw | ɨw |
| Diacritics | UN romanization | IPA | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| a-series | o-series | a-series | o-series | |
| អុំ | om | ŭm | om | um |
| អំ | âm | um | ɑm | um |
| អាំ | ăm | ŏâm | am | oəm |
| អាំង | ăng | eăng | aŋ | eəŋ |
| អះ | ăh | eăh | aʰ | eəʰ |
| អុះ | ŏh | uh | oʰ | uʰ |
| អេះ | éh | eiʰ | eʰ | |
| អោះ | aŏh | uŏh | ɑʰ | ʊəʰ |
| អៈ | aʔ | eəʔ | ||
For technical reasons, the dependent vowels are seen here paired with the letter អ (KHMER LETTER QA in Unicode) as not all browsers will display them by themselves correctly.
Read more about this topic: Khmer Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the words dependent and/or vowels:
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“These equal syllables alone require,
Though oft the ear the open vowels tire;”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)