Diacritics are small marks added to letters that modify pronunciation, stress, or even the function of a word. For example, the acute accent (é) alters the pronunciation of “café.” Similarly, the cedilla (ç) softens the “c” sound in “façade.” In some languages, diacritics can completely change the meaning of a word, as in the English pair “resume” and “résumé.”
Here’s a basic list of the primary diacritics and modified letters used in the Turkish alphabet, which has 29 letters. These marks are essential parts of the letters in Turkish, affecting pronunciation.
- Cedilla (¸) under C Letter: Ç / ç Example: çay (tea) Pronunciation: “ch” as in “chocolate.”
- Caron (or haček) (ˇ) on S Letter: Ş / ş Example: şeker (sugar) Pronunciation: “sh” as in “ship.”
- Breve (˘) on G Letter: Ğ / ğ (soft g or yumuşak g) Example: dağ (mountain) Pronunciation: Usually silent; it lengthens the preceding vowel or creates a slight glide (e.g., “daah”).
- Diaeresis (umlaut) (¨) on O and U Letter: Ö / ö and Ü / ü Example: göz (eye), üç (three) Pronunciation: Ö is like “er” in “her” (without the “r”); Ü is like “ew” in “few.”
- Dot placement on I Letters: İ / i (dotted) and I / ı (dotless) Example: İstanbul (with dotted İ), ıslak (wet, with dotless ı) Pronunciation: İ/i is like “ee” in “see”; I/ı is a neutral vowel like “uh” in “but.”
- Circumflex (^) is used optionally on vowels Letters: Â / â, Î / î, Û / û Example: kâr (profit) vs. kar (snow) Function: Indicates palatalization of the preceding consonant (k, g, l) or vowel length, mainly in loanwords or to distinguish meaning. Its usage has become less common in modern Turkish.