IPA Chart

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The official chart of the International Phonetic Alphabet (2005 version), produced by the International Phonetic Association, may be found in wikipedia, at [[1]].

There is a problem that some readers of AWE may encounter. (The writers have met it already.) This is that speech, being fluid and dynamic, cannot easily be represented in writing; and it is impossible to explain fully the sounds in any permanent system. The sounds of a language change over time, and to some extent the use of a phonetic alphabet will change with them. And speakers of different versions do not always agree on the representation of the sounds which they [think they] are making. This appears to be true of the differences between British and American English: for example LPD gives the pronunciation of 'lot' and 'odd' as examples of /ɒ/ in [British] RP and in General American as /ɑː/. These have been confused in other sources with /ɔː/ and /ɑ/. The different sounds of the letter '-o-' on different sides of the Atlantic can also give trouble to learners: the British (RP) sound is usually transcribed as /əʊ/, but this does not reflect a fairly wide variation in different speakers, while the representation of the General American pronunciation as // does not often seem as much 'purer' as the transcription implies.

For AWE's use of the IPA throughout this website, see IPA in AWE.