Choose the relevant non-pulmonic group
Open Non-pulmonic consonants, start with an empty editor and switch off Smart IPA suggestions for this exact-entry task. Locate the Clicks, Voiced Implosives and Ejectives group headings.
The grouping should not be treated as a list of interchangeable unusual consonants. Click symbols distinguish types of oral release, implosive symbols identify a different mechanism, and ejective notation adds a mark to a consonant. For this exercise you are comparing entries, not describing a whole utterance or trying to infer a speaker’s articulation from the letter shapes.
Insert two click letters and two implosives
Click ǀ in the Clicks group, add a space, and click ǁ. Add a space and move to Voiced Implosives, selecting ɓ, then another space and ɗ. Check that the editor has four separate entries. The dental click letter ǀ and lateral click letter ǁ can resemble keyboard punctuation, but the chart inserts the actual click characters.
The two implosives are bilabial and dental/alveolar respectively. Do not label them simply as versions of b and d pronounced while inhaling a word; that shortcut obscures the relevant articulatory mechanism. If the distinction is new, compare the external course demonstrations. Likewise, a click’s basic letter does not necessarily provide all information about voicing, nasalization or other accompaniment in a full transcription.
Add the legacy ejective entry and identify its mark
Add a space and click the k’ entry in Ejectives. The exact current output is k followed by U+2019, the right single quotation mark. Keep that result for this audit so that the published comparison accurately matches the button. Do not assume that a familiar apostrophe-like shape guarantees the modifier character required by another system.
The IPA reference uses ejective notation with the modifier apostrophe, and Unicode identifies U+02BC MODIFIER LETTER APOSTROPHE for ejective uses. In a dataset that requires that character, explicitly replace the punctuation mark with ʼ and check the saved result again. The intended standardized sequence would be kʼ. That is a deliberate cleanup step, not what the unchanged chart button currently inserts.
Download and document what you kept
Choose Download text and inspect the saved line. It should match ǀ ǁ ɓ ɗ k’ exactly for this workflow, including the legacy final mark. If your project has an encoding policy, record the required apostrophe character before making a later replacement. A visually similar export can still fail an exact-text comparison when two apostrophe characters differ.
Keep a clear distinction between the original button output and a corrected project version. For a teaching handout, explain the discrepancy beside the example. For structured data, use the project’s required character consistently and verify the edited file.
Choose the right notation
A click letter is not an ordinary pipe
Select ǀ or ǁ from the chart when those click symbols are intended. Replacing them with | or a pair of vertical bars changes the encoded text even when a font makes the shapes look similar.
Choose a character policy before collecting a large dataset
If a project requires U+02BC for ejectives, apply that requirement consistently and check exports. Do not rely on automatic smart-quote substitution in a word processor; it can introduce punctuation where a phonetic modifier is intended.
Audit the final character
The saved line ends in k’ and a project requires U+02BC for ejectives. Is the file ready as-is, and what exact final sequence should the cleaned version contain?
Compare with the model answer
The current button output ends in U+2019. The two marks may look similar, but they are different encoded characters. This exercise checks character consistency rather than changing the intended consonant.
Common questions
Does the example claim that U+2019 is the preferred IPA modifier?
No. It reports the chart’s current legacy output so that the instructions remain reproducible. U+02BC is the modifier apostrophe used for ejective notation; use it when your transcription or data convention requires that identity.
Are all click details contained in a single click letter?
Not necessarily. The basic letter identifies the click type, while a fuller transcription may need additional information about accompaniment. Follow the conventions of the language description or transcription project rather than treating the bare letter as exhaustive.
Will Download text normalize the ejective mark for me?
No. The verified download retains the entered text, including the legacy U+2019 mark. It is an export, not an IPA correction or normalization service; inspect and revise the character explicitly when needed.
Sources & further reading
- International Phonetic Association: interactive IPA chart
Official symbol values, chart positions and demonstration recordings.
- Unicode: Spacing Modifier Letters
U+02BC is a modifier apostrophe used for ejectives; U+2019 is punctuation.
- UC Berkeley: non-pulmonic performance exercises
Demonstrations of ejectives, implosives and click accompaniments.
Put it into practice
Open Non-pulmonic consonants to try the example, then continue with the topic’s practice exercises.
Explore the practice guide
