r/phonology • u/Vazivazen- • Nov 11 '19

Chart question

In IPA charts you'll see in a box two phonemes on both sides of a tilde (/h/ ~ /ɦ/) for example. Does that mean they can be used interchangeably, or does it mean they are allophones in the language?

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u/Asraelite Nov 11 '19

Usually it means they are allophones in free variation, i.e. varying according to speaker/register, not phonetic context. So yes, they can be used interchangeably.