The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of symbols used to represent sounds in various languages. It is the oldest and most widely accepted phonetic alphabet, used to document pronunciation, teach second language learners, and transcribe spoken material. The IPA contains symbols for vowels and consonants, including non-lung consonants, co-articulated aphrats, and diacritics.
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of symbols designed to represent the sounds found in the world’s various languages. IPA transcription is therefore a method for documenting pronunciation in any language using an internationally accepted writing system, and the IPA is the most prominent and oldest of all widely accepted phonetic alphabets. It was created and first published in the late 1800s by the Association Phonétique Internationale (International Phonetic Association). The script used in the original IPA was based on one created in 1847 by Isaac Pitman and Henry Ellis.
The IPA transcription system has many uses. In many dictionaries, the IPA transcription is used to represent the pronunciation. It is also often used to teach pronunciation to second language learners and to transcribe spoken material in languages that do not have established writing systems. IPA transcription is an important tool because it allows anyone with IPA knowledge to transcribe any language, regardless of prior exposure to it. The IPA transcription process is straightforward.
First, the transcriber must become familiar with how to recognize and produce the sounds in the IPA. The ability to identify the place and manner of articulation of sounds allows the transcriber to annotate sounds and words within the structure of the IPA and thus create an accurate transcription of the IPA. When sounds are transcribed in this way, others can consistently read and evaluate the information.
Where applicable and possible, the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet basically correspond to the letters and sounds of the Latin alphabet. When sounds are encountered that do not fit the Latin alphabet scheme, a relatively intuitive symbol is used. Symbols are often borrowed from an acceptable, stable, and well-known orthography, such as Greek.
The International Phonetic Alphabet contains a section for vowels that defines them in terms of how high the tongue is in the mouth and how far back or forward the tongue is. Consonants in the IPA are divided into five broad categories, each of which is divided in terms of place of articulation, that is, where in the mouth the sound is created. The mode of articulation, or type of sound produced, is represented in nine ways in the International Phonetic Alphabet. In addition to conventional consonants and vowels, other sounds are represented in the IPA; non-lung consonants, consonants and co-articulated aphrats, as well as diacritics, also have a place in the IPA.
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