View source for Macron (diacritic)

===Vowel length===
The following languages or transliteration systems use the macron to mark [[vowel length|long vowels]]:

* [[Slavicist]]s use the macron to indicate a non-tonic long vowel, or a non-tonic syllabic liquid, such as on ''a'', ''e'', ''r'', or ''u''. Languages with this feature include standard and dialect varieties of [[Silesian language|Silesian]], [[Serbo-Croatian language|Serbo-Croatian]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]], and [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]].<ref>Годечкият Говор от Михаил Виденов,Издателство на българската академия на науките,София, 1978, p. 19: ...характерни за всички селища от годечкия говор....Подобни случай са характерни и за книжовния език-Ст.Стойков, Увод във фонетиката на българския език, стр. 151.. {{in lang|bg}}</ref>
* Transcriptions of [[Arabic language|Arabic]] typically use macrons to indicate long vowels – {{lang|ar|ا}} ([[aleph|alif]] when pronounced {{IPA|/aː/}}), {{lang|ar|و}} ([[waw (letter)|waw]], when pronounced {{IPA|/uː/}} or {{IPA|/oː/}}), and {{lang|ar|ي}} ([[yodh|ya']], when pronounced {{IPA|/iː/}} or {{IPA|/eː/}}). Thus the Arabic word {{lang|ar|ثلاثة}} (three) is transliterated ''ṯalāṯah''.
*Transcriptions of [[Sanskrit]] typically use a macron over ā, ī, ū, ṝ, and ḹ in order to mark a long vowel (e and o are always long and consequently do not need any macron).{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
* In [[Latin]], many of the more recent dictionaries and learning materials use the macron as the modern equivalent of the ancient Roman [[Apex (diacritic)|apex]] to mark long vowels. Any of the six vowel letters ''(ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, ȳ)'' can bear it. It is sometimes used in conjunction with the [[breve]], especially to distinguish the short vowels {{IPA|/i/}} and {{IPA|/u/}} from their semi-vowel counterparts {{IPA|/j/}} and {{IPA|/w/}}, originally, and often to this day, spelt with the same letters. However, the older of these editions are not always explicit on whether they mark long vowels or heavy syllables – a confusion that is even found in some modern learning materials. In addition, most of the newest academic publications use both the macron and the breve sparingly, mainly when vowel length is relevant to the discussion.
*In [[romanization of Greek|romanization]] of [[ancient Greek|classical Greek]], the letters [[η]] (''eta'') and [[ω]] (''omega'') are transliterated, respectively, as ''ē'' and ''ō'', representing the long vowels of classical Greek, whereas the short vowels [[ε]] (''epsilon'') and [[ο]] (''omicron'') are always transliterated as plain ''e'' and ''o.'' The other long vowel phonemes do not have dedicated letters in the [[Greek alphabet]], being indicated by digraphs (transliterated likewise as digraphs) or by the letters [[Alpha|α]], [[Iota|ι]], [[Upsilon|υ]] – represented as ''ā, ī, ū''. The same three letters are transliterated as plain ''a, i, u'' when representing short vowels.
* The [[Hepburn romanization]] system of [[Japanese language|Japanese]], for example, ''tā'' ({{lang|ja|たあ}}) as opposed to ''ta'' ({{lang|ja|た}}).
* The [[Syriac language]] uses macrons to indicate long vowels in its romanized transliteration: ''ā'' for {{IPA|/aː/}}, ''ē'' for {{IPA|/eː/}}, ''ū'' for {{IPA|/uː/}} and ''ō'' for {{IPA|/ɔː/}}.
* [[Baltic languages]] and [[Baltic-Finnic languages]]:
** [[Latvian language|Latvian]]. ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ī'', ''ū'' are separate letters but are given the same position in [[collation]] as ''a'', ''e'', ''i'', ''u'' respectively. ''Ō'' was also used in Latvian, but it was discarded as of 1946.<ref>{{cite book |title=Latviešu valoda vidusskolām |author=Iluta Dalbiņa un Inese Lāčauniece |year=2001 |publisher=RaKa |location=Rīga |isbn=978-9984-46-130-4 |page=110}}</ref> Some usage remains in [[Latgalian language|Latgalian]].
** [[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]. ''ū'' is a separate letter but is given the same position in [[collation]] as the unaccented ''u''. It marks a long vowel; other long vowels are indicated with an [[ogonek]] (which used to indicate nasalization, but it no longer does): ''ą'', ''ę'', ''į'', ''ų'' and ''o'' being always long in Lithuanian except for some recent loanwords. For the long counterpart of ''i'', ''y'' is used.
** [[Livonian language|Livonian]]. ''ā'', ''ǟ'', ''ē'', ''ī'', ''ō'', ''ȱ'', ''ȭ'' and ''ū'' are separate letters that sort in alphabetical order immediately after ''a'', ''ä'', ''e'', ''i'', ''o'', ''ȯ'', ''õ'', and ''u'', respectively.
** [[Samogitian language|Samogitian]]. ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ė̄'', ''ī'', ''ū'' and ''ō'' are separate letters that sort in alphabetical order immediately after ''a'', ''e'', ''ė'', ''i'', ''u'' and ''o'' respectively.
* Transcriptions of [[Nahuatl]], the [[Aztecs]]' language, spoken in [[Mexico]]. When the Spanish conquistadors arrived, they wrote the language in their own alphabet without distinguishing long vowels. Over a century later, in 1645, [[Horacio Carochi]] defined macrons to mark long vowels ''ā'', ''ē'', ''ī'' and ''ō'', and short vowels with grave (`) accents. This is rare nowadays since many people write Nahuatl without any orthographic sign and with the letters ''k'', ''s'' and ''w'', not present in the original alphabet.
* Modern transcriptions of [[Old English]], for long vowels.
* Latin transliteration of [[Pali]] and [[Sanskrit]], and in the [[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]] and [[ISO 15919]] transcriptions of [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]] and [[Dravidian languages]].
*[[Polynesian languages]]:
**[[Cook Islands Māori]]. In Cook Islands Māori, the macron or ''mākarōna'' is not commonly used in writing, but is used in references and teaching materials for those learning the language.<ref>Buse, Jasper with Taringa, Raututi (Bruce Biggs and Rangi Moeka{{okina}}a, eds.). (1996). ''Cook Islands Maori Dictionary with English-Cook Islands Maori Finder List.'' Avarua, Rarotonga: The Ministry of Education, Government of the Cook Islands; The School of Oriental and African Studies, The University of London; The Institute of Pacific Studies, The University of the South Pacific; The Centre for Pacific Studies, The University of Auckland; Pacific Linguistics, The Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University.</ref><ref>Carpentier, Tai Tepuaoterā Turepu and Beaumont, Clive. (1995). ''Kai kōrero: A Cook Islands Maori Language Coursebook.'' Auckland, New Zealand: Pasifika Press.</ref>
**{{anchor|Kahakō}}[[Hawaiian alphabet|Hawaiian]]. The macron is called ''kahakō'', and it indicates vowel length, which changes meaning and the placement of [[stress (linguistics)|stress]].
**{{anchor|Tohutō}}[[Māori language#Long vowels|Māori]]. In modern written Māori, the macron is used to designate long vowels, with the [[trema (diacritic)|trema]] mark sometimes used if the macron is unavailable (e.g. "wähine").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/unicode/macrons_issues.shtml|title=Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori|website=www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz|access-date=2008-09-02|archive-date=2015-01-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150113071200/http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/english/unicode/macrons_issues.shtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Māori word for macron is ''tohutō.'' The term ''pōtae'' ("hat") is also used.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kupu.maori.nz/about/macrons|title=Macrons|website=kupu.maori.nz|access-date=2017-10-08}}</ref> In the past, writing in Māori either did not distinguish vowel length, or doubled long vowels (e.g. "waahine"), as some [[iwi]] dialects still do.
**[[Niuean language|Niuean]]. In Niuean, "popular spelling" does not worry too much about vowel quantity (length), so the macron is primarily used in scholarly study of the language.<ref>Sperlich, Wolfgang B. (ed.) (1997). ''Tohi vagahau Niue – Niue language dictionary: Niuen-English with English-Niuean finderlist.'' Honolulu: University of Hawaii at Manoa Department of Linguistics.</ref>
** [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]]. The use of the macron is comparatively recent in Tahitian. The ''Fare Vāna{{okina}}a'' or ''Académie Tahitienne'' (Tahitian Academy) recommends using the macron, called the ''tārava,'' to represent long vowels in written text, especially for scientific or teaching texts<ref>Académie Tahitienne. (1986). ''Grammaire de la langue tahitienne.'' Papeete, Tahiti: Fare Vāna{{okina}}a.</ref><ref>Académie Tahitienne. (1999). ''Dictionnaire tahitien-français: Fa{{okina}}atoro parau tahiti-farāni.'' Papeete, Tahiti: Fare Vāna{{okina}}a.</ref> and it has widespread acceptance.<ref>LeMaître, Yves. (1995). ''Lexique du tahitien contemporain: tahitien-français français-tahitien.'' Paris: Éditions de l'IRD (ex-Orstom).</ref><ref>Montillier, Pierre. (1999). ''Te reo tahiti {{okina}}āpi: Dictionnaire du tahitien nouveau et biblique.'' Papeete, Tahiti: STP Multipress.</ref><ref>Jaussen, Mgr Tepano. (2001). ''Dictionnaire de la langue Tahitienne'' (10ème édition, revue et augmentée). Papeete, Tahiti: Société des Études Océaniennes.</ref> (In the past, written Tahitian either did not distinguish vowel length, or used multiple other ways).<ref>Académie Tahitienne (6 January 2003). ''[http://www.farevanaa.pf/theme_detail.php?id=5 Graphie et graphies de la langue tahitienne]''.</ref>
** [[Tongan language|Tongan]] and [[Samoan language|Samoan]]. The macron is called the ''toloi/fakamamafa'' or ''fa'amamafa'', respectively. Its usage is similar to that in Māori, including its substitution by a trema. Its usage is not universal in Samoan, but recent academic publications and advanced study textbooks promote its use.<ref>Simanu, Aumua Mata'itusi. 'O si Manu a Ali'i: A Text for the Advanced Study of Samoan Language and Culture</ref>
* The macron is used in [[Fijian language]] dictionaries, in instructional materials for non-Fijian speakers, and in books and papers on Fijian linguistics. It is not typically used in Fijian publications intended for fluent speakers, where context is usually sufficient for a reader to distinguish between [[heteronym (linguistics)|heteronyms]].
* Both [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]] and Latin transcriptions of [[Udege language|Udege]].
* The Latin and Cyrillic alphabet transcriptions of the Tsebari dialect of [[Tsez language|Tsez]].
* In western [[Cree language|Cree]], [[Sauk language (Algonquian)|Sauk]], and [[Saulteaux language|Saulteaux]], the Algonquianist Standard Roman Orthography (SRO) indicates long vowels {{IPA|[aː eː iː oː~uː]}} either with a [[circumflex]] ⟨''â ê î ô''⟩ or with a macron ⟨''ā ē ī ō''⟩.