Modulatsioonimärk

Modulatsioonimärk, known scientifically as a diacritical mark, is a grapheme that can be added to a letter to alter its pronunciation or meaning. These marks are not independent letters but rather modifications of existing ones. They are used across many alphabetic writing systems to represent a wider range of sounds than a basic alphabet might allow, or to distinguish between homographs.

The function of a modulatsioonimärk can vary significantly. Some indicate stress or emphasis, while others denote vowel length or nasalization. In some languages, they are crucial for differentiating between words that would otherwise be spelled identically but have distinct meanings, a phenomenon known as minimal pairs. For instance, in French, the accent aigu (é) changes the sound of 'e' compared to an unaccented 'e'. Similarly, the tilde (ñ) in Spanish modifies the sound of 'n'.

The usage and appearance of modulatsioonimärgid are diverse. Common examples include the acute accent (´), grave accent (`), circumflex accent (^), umlaut (¨), and tilde (~). The specific marks used and their functions are language-dependent. Their introduction into writing systems often occurred to better represent spoken language, especially as alphabets were adapted to new linguistic features or as attempts were made to standardize spelling. Modulatsioonimärgid play a vital role in the accurate transcription and understanding of many languages, ensuring that subtle phonetic distinctions are preserved in writing.