The charts below show the way in which the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) represents Standard Bulgarian and Standard Macedonian pronunciations in Wikipedia articles.
When two examples are given, the first is in Bulgarian and the second in Macedonian. When a word has the same spelling in both languages or the sound does not occur in one language, only one example is given.
English approximations are, in some cases, very rough and intended to give only a general idea of the pronunciation. See Bulgarian phonology and Macedonian phonology for a more thorough look at the sounds.
Consonants
IPA
Examples
Nearest English equivalent
BG
MK
b
б аба
b ox
c
кь опоолу,[1] ќ ар
c ute
d
д ом
d ust
d͡z
дз ифт, ѕ везда
birds
d͡ʒ
дж ем, џ ем
j ab
f
ф илм
f act
ɡ
г арван
g ood
ɟ
г яур,[1] ѓ авол
argu e
j
сой ка, пај ак
y es
k
к ъща, к уќа
sk ill
l
л имон
l eap
ɫ
л ош
all
ʎ
л юбов, љ убов
milli on
m
м оре
m ocha
n
н ос
n orth
ɲ
бан я, бањ а
cany on
ŋ
бан ка
sing
p
п ет
sp eak
r
р абота
trilled r , like in Spanish
r̩
пр ст
US: ver b (trilled)
s
с тол
s alt, mas k
ʃ
ш ума
s ugar
t
т айна, т ајна
st yle
t͡s
ц ар
bats
t͡ʃ
ч ай, ч ај
ch eese
v
в ода
v iew
x
х артия, х артија
loch (Scottish English )
z
з има
z oo
ʒ
ж ълт, ж олт
pleas ure
Marginal consonants
IPA
Examples
Nearest English equivalent
BG
MK
ɫ̩
Попокатепетл
little
n̩
њутн
button
ɣ
видях го
between g o and ah old
ç
Х юз
h uge
w
у иски
w ater
Vowels
IPA
Examples
Nearest English equivalent
BG
MK
a
бра т
fa ther
ɤ
къ т
plu s (General American, Scottish English )
ɛ
це на
e dge
i
си в
poli ce
ɔ
сло н
o ff
u
ху бав, у бав
poo l
Reduced vowels
IPA
Examples
Nearest English equivalent
BG
MK
ɐ
щерка , камъ к
sofa
o
нещо , у ста
thou ght (RP ), coa t (Scottish English )
Marginal vowels
IPA
Examples
Nearest English equivalent
BG
MK
ə
к’ смет
sofa
Other symbols
IPA
Explanation
BG
MK
ˈ
Denotes stress on the following syllable
ˌ
Denotes secondary stress on the following syllable
◌ʲ
Denotes palatalization of the preceding consonant
References [ edit ]
^ a b A reference grammar of modern Bulgarian , Ernest A. Scatton, Slavica Publishers, 1984, p.17
Sources [ edit ]
Жобов, Владимир (2004), Звуковете в българския език
Lunt, Horace G. (1952), Grammar of the Macedonian Literary Language , Skopje
Sabev, Mitko (2015), Reduction of unstressed central and back vowels in Contemporary Standard Bulgarian (PDF) , Proceedings of the 18th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Glasgow, UK
Scatton, Ernest A. (1984), A reference grammar of modern Bulgarian
Comparisons Introductory guides