A diacritical mark is a symbol added to a letter to indicate a modification of its pronunciation or to distinguish it from other similar letters. These marks can affect the sound, stress, tone, or meaning of the letter or word. Common examples of diacritical marks include:
- Acute accent (´) - As in "é," indicating a specific vowel sound or stress.
- Grave accent (`) - As in "è," which can also indicate a different vowel sound.
- Circumflex (ˆ) - As in "ô," often used in French to indicate a historical change in pronunciation or the presence of a letter that is no longer pronounced.
- Diaeresis (¨) - As in "niña," indicating that two vowels should be pronounced separately rather than as a single sound.
- Tilde (˜) - As in "ñ," indicating a nasal sound in some languages, such as Spanish.
Diacritical marks are important in many languages for correct pronunciation and meaning.