These glyphs were used as pronunciation guides for logograms, to write grammatical inflections, and, later, to transcribe loan words and foreign names.
ðiːz ɡlˈɪfz wɜː jˈuːzd æz pɹənˌʌnsɪˈeɪʃən ɡˈaɪdz fɔːɹ lˈɑːɡəɡɹˌæmz, tə ɹˈaɪt ɡɹɐmˈæɾɪkəl ɪnflˈɛkʃənz, ænd, lˈeɪɾɚ, tə tɹænskɹˈaɪb lˈoʊn wˈɜːdz ænd fˈɔːɹən nˈeɪmz.