PhonoMap is a pronunciation assistance feature on Langeek that provides detailed phonetic breakdowns of words, helping learners understand their pronunciation structure. It analyzes spelling-to-sound relationships, syllabification, stress patterns, and offers transliterations for select languages.
Functionality
1. Phonetic Breakdown & IPA Transcription
PhonoMap deconstructs words into their constituent sounds, displaying:
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The letters or multigraphs (e.g., “sh”, “igh”)
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Their corresponding IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols
This allows users to see how each segment contributes to the word’s pronunciation.
Example: “Ship”
| Letters | IPA |
|---|---|
| sh | /ʃ/ |
| i | /ɪ/ |
| p | /p/ |
2. Syllabification & Stress Marking
The feature divides words into syllables and indicates primary stress, following standard linguistic conventions.
Example: “Elephant”
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Syllables: el·e·phant
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Stress: /ˈel.ɪ.fənt/ (first syllable)
3. Native-Script Transliteration (Multilingual Support)
For languages with non-Latin scripts, PhonoMap provides transliterations to aid learners unfamiliar with English spelling. Supported languages include:
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Persian (e.g., “book” → بوک)
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Arabic (e.g., “cat” → کَت)
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Russian, Ukrainian, Turkish, Greek, Hindi
4. AI-Based Difficulty Assessment
An internal AI model evaluates words for orthographic complexity, flagging those with irregular spellings (e.g., “colonel” → /ˈkɜːrnəl/).
Purpose & Use Cases
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Assists language learners in decoding pronunciation rules.
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Provides teachers with a structured way to explain sound-spelling relationships.
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Helps non-native speakers overcome challenges with English orthography.
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Supports multilingual learners through script-based transcriptions.
Development & Availability
PhonoMap is integrated into Langeek’s dictionary and learning tools, accessible on web and mobile platforms. Future updates may expand:
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Additional language support
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Enhanced AI detection for pronunciation exceptions
