Lyric diction
Lyric diction for singers, language by language
Each language page sets out the sounds a singer actually has to produce: the vowels, the consonants that change between spoken and sung style, the rules for doubling, linking and silent letters, and the IPA symbols that mark them in a score. Start with the language of your next role, then use the IPA pages to transcribe the text yourself.
11 pages in this section
Italian diction for singers: vowels, consonants, IPA and double-consonant rules
Italian lyric diction in one page: the 7 vowels, open and closed E and O, the c and g rules, gli, gn, sc, double consonants and the rolled r.
DictionFrench diction for singers: nasal vowels, mute e, liaison and the French r
French lyric diction in one page: oral and nasal vowels, the mute e, the uvular r, silent final consonants and the three kinds of liaison.
DictionGerman diction for singers: glottal stop, ich-Laut and ach-Laut, final devoicing and r
German lyric diction in one page: the glottal stop, the two ch sounds, final devoicing of b, d and g, vowel length, schwa and the German r.
DictionLatin diction for singers: Italianate (Church) vs Germanic pronunciation and IPA
Latin lyric diction in one page: Italianate versus Germanic pronunciation, ae and oe, the ti rule, v, double consonants and Classical differences.
DictionSpanish diction for singers: five vowels, b d g, tap and trill, seseo and yeismo
Spanish lyric diction in one page: the five pure vowels, soft b d g, the tap and the trill, c and z, ll and y, and Castilian versus Latin American choices.
DictionRussian diction for singers: palatalization, vowel reduction and transliteration
Russian lyric diction in one page: hard and soft consonants, the soft sign, vowel reduction, the vowel [ɨ], final devoicing and how romanization works.
DictionEnglish diction for singers: sung vowels, the r and consonant clarity
English lyric diction in one page: vowels that carry the line, diphthongs, r-controlled vowels, the sung r and consonants placed before the beat.
DictionLadino diction for singers: Judaeo-Spanish pronunciation and Sephardic song
Ladino (Judaeo-Spanish) for singers: how it relates to Spanish, its vowels and consonants, dialect differences, spelling and the borrowed-melody tradition.
DictionIPA for singers: what the International Phonetic Alphabet is and how to use it
The International Phonetic Alphabet for singers: why one symbol equals one sound, the marks that matter, singers' charts and where to find IPA texts.
DictionHow to transcribe an aria into IPA: a step-by-step method for singers
Transcribe an aria into IPA: choose broad or narrow notation, use brackets, start from a ready-made IPA library and check the result by ear.
DictionWhat an opera diction coach does: lessons, preparation and how to use one
What an opera diction coach does: the training they bring, what a session covers, who needs one and how a diction coach differs from a voice teacher.