International Phonetic Alphabet chart for English dialects: Difference between revisions

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This concise chart shows the most common applications of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to represent English language pronunciations.

See Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries.

AuE, Australian English
CaE, Canadian English
GA, General American
InE, Indian English
IrE, Irish English
NZE, New Zealand English
RP, Received Pronunciation (Standard in the United Kingdom)
ScE, Scottish English
SAE, South African English
SSE, Standard Singapore English
WaE, Welsh English

Chart

This chart gives a partial system of diaphonemes for English. The symbols for the diaphonemes are given in bold, followed by their most common phonetic values. For the vowels, a separate phonetic value is given for each major dialect, and words used to name corresponding lexical sets are also given. The diaphonemes and lexical sets given here are based on RP and General American; they are not sufficient to express all of the distinctions found in other dialects, such as Australian English.

English consonants
Dia- phoneme^[1]	Phones	Examples
p	pʰ, p	pen, spin, tip
b	b, [[Voicelessness\|b̥]]	but, web
t	tʰ, t, ɾ, ʔ^[2]	two, sting, bet
d	d, [[Voicelessness\|d̥]], ɾ^[3]	do, daddy, odd
t͡ʃ	t͡ʃʰ, t͡ʃ	chair, nature, teach
d͡ʒ	d͡ʒ, [[Voicelessness\|d͜ʒ̊]]	gin, joy, edge
k	kʰ, k	cat, kill, skin, queen, unique, thick
ɡ	ɡ, [[Voicelessness\|ɡ̊]]	go, get, beg
f	f	fool, enough, leaf, off, photo
v	v, [[Voicelessness\|v̥]]	voice, have, of
θ	θ, t̪^[4]	thing, teeth
ð	ð, [[Voicelessness\|ð̥]], d̪^[5]	this, breathe, father
s	s	see, city, pass
z	z, [[Voicelessness\|z̥]]	zoo, rose
ʃ	ʃ	she, sure, session, emotion, leash
ʒ	ʒ, [[Voicelessness\|ʒ̊]]	genre, pleasure, beige, equation, seizure
h	h, ɦ,^[6] ç^[7]	ham, hue
m	m, ɱ^[8]	man, ham
n	n	no, tin
ŋ	ŋ	ringer, sing,^[9] finger, drink
l	l, ɫ,^[10] [[Voicelessness\|l̥]], [[Voicelessness\|ɫ̥]],^[11] ɤ^[12] w, o, ʊ^[13]	left, bell, sable, please
r	ɹʷ, ɹ, ɾ,^[14] ɻ, [[Voicelessness\|ɹ̥ʷ]], [[Voicelessness\|ɹ̥]], [[Voicelessness\|ɾ̥]], [[Voicelessness\|ɻ̊]],^[11] ʋ^[15]	run, very, probably
w	w, w̥^[11]	we, queen
j	j	yes, nyala
hw	ʍ, w^[16]	what
Marginal consonants
x	x, χ, k, kʰ, h, ɦ, ç	loch (Scottish),^[17] ugh^[18]
ʔ	ʔ	uh-oh

English vowels and diphthongs
Dia- phoneme^[1]	AuE^[19]^[20]	CaE^[21]	GA^[22]^[23]^[24]	InE^[25]	IrE^[26]	NZE^[24]^[27]	RP^[28]^[29]	ScE^[30]	SAE^[31]^[32]	SSE	WaE^[33]	Keyword	Examples
æ	æ, æː^[34]	æ~a, ɛə^[35]	æ, eə~ɛə^[35]	æ~ɛ	æ~a	ɛ	æ~a	ɐ̟	a~æ~ɛ	ɛ^[36]	a	TRAP	lad, bad, cat^[37]
ɑː or æ	ɐː	æ~a, ɛə^[35]	æ, eə~ɛə^[35]	äː	æ~a	ɐː	ɑː		äː~ɑː~ ɒː~ɔː	ä^[38]	a	BATH	pass, path, sample
ɑː	ɐː	ɒː	ɑ~ä	äː	ɑː	ɐː	ɑː		äː~ɑː~ ɒː~ɔː	ä^[38]	aː	PALM	father
ɒ	ɔ	ɒ	ɑ~ä	ɒ~ä	ɑ	ɔ	ɒ~ɔ	ɔ	ɒ̈~ʌ̈	ɔ	ɒ	LOT	not, wasp
ɒ	ɔ		ɒ~ɔ~ɑ^[39]	ɒ~ä	ɑ	ɔ	ɒ~ɔ		ɒ̈~ʌ̈, ɔː~oː		ɒ	CLOTH	off, loss, cloth, long, dog, chocolate^[40]
ɔː	oː		ɒ~ɔ~ɑ^[39]	ɒː	ɔː	oː	o̞ː		ɔː~oː		ɒː	THOUGHT	law, caught, all, halt, talk
ə	ə	ə			ə	ɘ	ə		ə	ə		COMMA	about
ɪ	ɪ					ɘ	ɪ	ɪ~ə~ʌ	ɪ~i, ə^[41]	i, ɪ	ɪ	KIT	sit
i	ɪi̯	i	i			ɪi̯	ɪi̯	e, i	iˑ	i	iː	HAPPY	city
iː		ɪi̯		iː	iː			i	iː			FLEECE	see
iː		ɪi̯		iː	eː~iː			i	iː			FLEECE	meat
eɪ	æɪ̯	eɪ̯		eː	eː	æɪ̯	ɛi̯	e	eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯~ æɪ̯~äɪ̯~ ʌɪ̯	e^[42]	eː	FACE	date
eɪ	æɪ̯	eɪ̯		eː	eː	æɪ̯	ɛi̯	e	eɪ̯~ɛɪ̯~ æɪ̯~äɪ̯~ ʌɪ̯	e^[42]	ei	FACE	day, pain, whey, rein
ɛ	e	ɛ				ɪ	ɛ̝	ɛ	ɛ~e~ɪ	ɛ, e^[43]	ɛ	DRESS	bed^[44]
ɜːr	ɵː(ɹ)	ɚ		ɜː(ɾ)~äɾ	ɚː, ɔɹ~ʊɹ^[45]	ɵː(ɹ)	əː(ɹ)	ʌɾ^[45]	ø̈ː(ɹ)~ ø̞̈ː(ɹ)~ əː(ɹ)	ə(ɹ)	ɜː(ɾ)	NURSE	burn
					ɚː, ɔɹ~ʊɹ^[45]			ɪɾ~ʌɾ^[45]					bird
					ɚː, ɛɹ^[45]			ɛɾ^[45]					herd, earth
ər	ə(ɹ)			ə(ɾ)	ɚ	ɘ(ɹ)	ə(ɹ)	əɾ	ə(ɹ)		ə(ɾ)	LETTER	winner, donor, massacre^[46]
ʌ	ɐ	ʌ̈~ɜ̞~ɐ̝		ə~ɜ	ɞ~ʊ	ɐ	ə ~ ʌ ~ ɑ^[47]	ʌ	ɐ~ä	ä	ə~ɜ	STRUT	run, won, flood
ʊ	ʊ	ʊ~ʊ̞̈		ʊ	ɞ~ʊ	ʊ	ɵ	ʉ	ʊ~ʊ̈	u, ʊ	ʊ	FOOT	put
ʊ	ʊ	ʊ~ʊ̞̈		ʊ	uː	ʊ	ɵ		ʊ~ʊ̈	u, ʊ	ʊ	FOOT	hood
uː	ʉː	ʉu̯	u̟~ʊu̯~ʉu̯	uː		ʉː	ɵʉ̯		u̟ː~ʉː~ yː	u	uː	GOOSE	through, you
uː	ʉː	ʉu̯	u̟~ʊu̯~ʉu̯	uː		ʉː	ɵʉ̯		u̟ː~ʉː~ yː	u	ɪu^[48]		threw, yew
juː	jʉː	(j)u̟		juː		jʉː	jɵʉ̯	jʉ	ju̟ː~jʉː~ jyː	ju	ɪu^[48]		cute, dew, ewe
aɪ	ɑe̯	ʌɪ̯~ɜɪ̯~ɐɪ̯^[49]		äɪ̯	ɑɪ̯~ɔɪ̯	ɑe̯	ɑɪ̯	əi̯~ae̯	äɪ̯~äː~ ɑɪ̯~ɑ̟ː	ai̯		PRICE	flight, mice
aɪ	ɑe̯	ɑɪ̯	äɪ̯	äɪ̯	ɑɪ̯~ɔɪ̯	ɑe̯	ɑɪ̯	əi̯~ae̯	äɪ̯~äː~ ɑɪ̯~ɑ̟ː	ai̯		PRICE	my, wise, high
ɔɪ	oɪ̯	ɔɪ̯	ɔɪ̯~oɪ̯	ɒɪ̯	ɒɪ̯~oɪ̯, äɪ̯	oɪ̯	oɪ̯	oi̯	ɔɪ̯~ɒɪ̯	ɔi̯	ɒi̯	CHOICE	boy, hoist
oʊ	ɐʉ̯	ɵʊ̯	oʊ̯	oː	oʊ̯, oː	ɐʉ̯	əʉ̯	o̝	ɛʊ̯~œʊ̯~ œʉ̯~œɤ̯̈~ œː~ʌʊ̯	o^[42]	oː	GOAT	no, toe, soap
	ɐʉ̯		oʊ̯			ɐʉ̯	əʉ̯		ɛʊ̯~œʊ̯~ œʉ̯~œɤ̯̈~ œː~ʌʊ̯		ou̯		tow, folk
	ɔʊ̯		oə̯~oʊ̯			ɔʊ̯	ɒʊ̯~ɔʊ̯				ou̯		soul, roll, cold
aʊ	æɔ̯	ʌʊ̯~ɜʊ̯^[49]	äʊ̯~æʊ̯	äʊ̯	æu̯~ɛu̯	æo̯	aʊ̯	ɘʉ̯	äʊ̯~äː~ æʊ̯	au̯		MOUTH	about, house
aʊ	æɔ̯	äʊ̯~ɑʊ̯	äʊ̯~æʊ̯	äʊ̯	æu̯~ɛu̯	æo̯	aʊ̯	ɘʉ̯	äʊ̯~äː~ æʊ̯	au̯		MOUTH	now, trout
ɑːr	ɐː(ɹ)	ɑɹ~ɐɹ	ɑɹ	äː(ɾ)	aːɹ~ äːɹ	ɐː(ɹ)	ɑː(ɹ)	ɐ̟ɾ	äː(ɹ)~ɑː(ɹ)~ ɒː(ɹ)~ɔː(ɹ)	ä(ɹ)	aː(ɾ)	START	arm, car
ɪər	ɪː(ɹ)~ ɪːə(ɹ)	ɪɹ	iɹ~ iə̯ɹ	ɪə̯(ɾ)~ iː(ɾ)	iːɹ	iə̯(ɹ)^[50]	ɪə̯(ɹ)~ ɪː(ɹ)	iɾ	ɪə̯(ɹ)~ ɪː(ɹ)	iə̯(ɹ)	ɪə̯(ɾ)	NEAR	deer, here
ɛər	eː(ɹ)~ eːə(ɹ)	ɛɹ	ɛ(ə̯)ɹ~ eɹ	ɛə̯(ɾ)~ eː(ɾ)	eːɹ	ɪə̯(ɹ)~ iə̯^[50]	ɛə̯(ɹ)~ ɛː(ɹ)^[51]	eɾ	ɛə̯(ɹ)~ ɛː(ɹ)~ eː(ɹ)	ɛ(ɹ)	ɛː(ɾ)	SQUARE	mare, there, bear
ɔːr	oː(ɹ)	ɔɹ	ɔɹ~oɹ	ɒː(ɾ)	ɑɹ	oː(ɹ)	o̞ː(ɹ)	ɔɾ	ɔː(ɹ)~ oː(ɹ)	ɔ(ɹ)	ɒː(ɾ)	NORTH	sort, warm
ɔːr	oː(ɹ)	ɔɹ	ɔɹ~oɹ	ɒː(ɾ)	oːɹ	oː(ɹ)	o̞ː(ɹ)	o̝ɾ	ɔː(ɹ)~ oː(ɹ)	ɔ(ɹ)	oː(ɾ)	FORCE	tore, boar, port
ʊər	ʉːə(ɹ)~ oː(ɹ)		ʊɹ~ɔɹ~oɹ	ʊə̯(ɾ)~ uː(ɾ)	uːɹ, oːɹ	ʉːɘ(ɹ)~ oː(ɹ)	ɵː(ɹ)~ o̞ː(ɹ)^[52]	ʉɾ	ʊə̯(ɹ)~ oː(ɹ)	uə̯(ɹ)	ʊə̯(ɾ)	CURE	tour, moor
jʊər	jʉːə(ɹ)~ joː(ɹ)	jɚ~ jʊɹ~jɵɹ	jʊɹ, jɚ	jʊə̯(ɾ)~ juː(ɾ)	juɹ, joːɹ	jʉːɘ(ɹ)~ joː(ɹ)	jɵː(ɹ)~ jo̞ː(ɹ)	jʉɾ	jʊə̯(ɹ), joː(ɹ)	jɔ(ɹ)	ɪʊə̯(ɾ)	CURE	pure, Europe
Dia- phoneme^[1]	AuE	CaE	GA	InE	IrE	NZE	RP	ScE	SAE	SSE	WaE	Keyword	Examples

Reduced vowels^[53]
Dia- phoneme^[1]	Reduced to	Reduced from
ə	ə	ʌ, æ, ɑː, ɒ, ɪ, ʊ, oʊ
ɪ	ɪ	iː, ɛ, eɪ, aɪ
ʊ	ʊ	uː
ər	ər	ɜːr, ɑːr, ɔːr, ʊr

Other symbols used in transcription of English pronunciation
IPA		Explanation
ˈ		Primary stress indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, rapping /ˈræpɪŋ/
ˌ		Secondary stress/full vowel indicator (placed before the stressed syllable); for example, pronunciation /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/
.		Syllable separation indicator; for example, ice cream /ˈaɪs.kriːm/ vs. I scream /ˌaɪ.ˈskriːm/
̩	̍	Syllabic consonant indicator (placed under the syllabic consonant); for example, ridden [ˈɹɪdn̩]

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.
^ /t/ is pronounced [ɾ] in some positions in GA and Australian English, and is possible in RP in words like butter, [ʔ] in some positions in Scottish English, English English, American English and Australian English, and [t̞] non-initially in Irish English.
^ /d/ is pronounced [ɾ] if preceded and followed by vowels in GA and Australian English.
^ /θ/ is pronounced as a dental stop [t̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /f/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /t/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. The dental stop [t̪] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /θ/.
^ /ð/ is pronounced as a dental stop [d̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /v/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /d/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. [d̪] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /ð/.
^ The glottal fricative /h/ is often pronounced as voiced [ɦ] between vowel sounds and after voiced consonants.
^ /h/ is pronounced [ç] before the palatal approximant /j/, and sometimes before high front vowels.
^ The bilabial nasal /m/ is pronounced as labiodental [ɱ] before f and v, as in symphony [ˈsɪɱfəni], circumvent [ˌsɝkəɱˈvɛnt], some value [ˌsʌɱˈvæɫjuː].
^ In some dialects, such as Brummie, words like ringer, sing /ˈɹɪŋə ˈsɪŋ/, which have a velar nasal [ŋ] in most dialects, are pronounced with an additional /ɡ/, like "finger": /ˈɹɪŋɡə/.
^ Velarized [ɫ] traditionally does not occur in Irish English; clear or plain [l] does not occur in Australian, New Zealand, Scottish, or American English. RP, some other English accents, and South African English, however, have clear [l] in syllable onsets and dark [ɫ] in syllable rimes.
^ ^a ^b ^c Sonorants are voiceless after a fortis (voiceless) stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable.
^ L-vocalization in which l is pronounced as [ɤ] is prevalent in Standard Singapore English.
^ L-vocalization in which l is pronounced as [w], [o], and [ʊ] occurs in New Zealand English and many regional accents not included in the chart, such as Cockney, New York English, Estuary English, Pittsburgh English, and African-American Vernacular English.
^ /r/ is pronounced as a tap [ɾ] in some varieties of Scottish and Irish English.
^ R-labialization, in which r is pronounced as [ʋ], is found in some accents in Southern England.
^ Some dialects, such as Scottish English, Irish English, and many American South and New England dialects, distinguish voiceless [ʍ] from voiced [w]; see wine–whine merger and voiceless labiovelar approximant.
^ Marginal in most accents, and otherwise merged with /k/, see Lock–loch merger.
^ This common English interjection is usually pronounced with [x] in unscripted spoken English, but it is most often read /ʌɡ/ or /ʌk/
^ Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)
^ Cox & Palethorpe (2007)
^ Boberg (2004)
^ Kenyon & Knott (1953)
^ Kenyon (1950)
^ ^a ^b Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)
^ Sailaja (2009:19–26)
^ Wells (1982:422)
^ Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)
^ Roach (2004:241–243). See Pronunciation respelling for English#International Phonetic Alphabet for the alternative system devised by Clive Upton for Oxford University Press dictionaries.
^ "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library.
^ Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)
^ Bekker (2008)
^ Lass (2002:111–119)
^ Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)
^ See bad–lad split for this distinction.
^ ^a ^b In most of the United States (with high dialectal variation), and to a lesser degree in Canada, special /æ/ tensing systems occur.
^ Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.
^ Often transcribed /a/ for RP, for example in dictionaries of the Oxford University Press.
^ Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978 0 7486 3096 7.
^ ɒ~ɔ occurs in American accents without the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ.
^ In American accents without the cot–caught merger, the LOT vowel (generally written o) appears as ɒ~ɔ instead of ɑ before the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/; also usually before /ɡ/, especially in single-syllable words (dog, log, frog, etc.), and occasionally before /k/ (as in chocolate). See Lot–cloth split. In American accents with the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers), only ɑ occurs.
^ It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kit–bit split.
^ ^a ^b Deterding, David (2000) 'Measurements of the /eɪ/ and /oʊ/ vowels of young English speakers in Singapore'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.), The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics, pp. 93–99.
^ Mary W.J. Tay (1982). "'The phonology of educated Singapore English'". English World-Wide. "3" ("2"): 135–45. doi:10.1075/eww.3.2.02tay.
^ Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e See Fern–fir–fur merger for this distinction in some varieties.
^ Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].
^ The STRUT vowel in BrE is highly variable in the triangle defined by ə, ʌ and ɑ, see 'STRUT for Dummies'
^ In Welsh English, you, yew and ewe are /juː/, /jɪu/ and /ɪu/ respectively; in most other varieties of English they are homophones.
^ ^a ^b Some dialects of North American English have a vowel shift called Canadian raising, in which the first element of the diphthongs /aɪ, aʊ/ is raised in certain cases, yielding [ʌɪ̯, ʌʊ̯] or [əɪ̯, əʊ̯]. Canadian English has raising of both diphthongs, but most dialects in the United States only have raising of /aɪ/. In monosyllables, raising occurs before voiceless consonants, so right [ɹʌɪ̯t] and out [ʌʊ̯t] have raised vowels, but eyes [aɪz] and loud [laʊd] do not.
^ ^a ^b Merging NEAR and SQUARE is especially common amongst young New Zealanders.
^ While the actual pronunciation is [ɛə(ɹ) ~ ɛː(ɹ)], it can also be transcribed /eə(ɹ)/.
^ Roach (2004) notes that many people in England use [oː] for this vowel, but also that RP traditionally distinguishes between maw /mɔː/ and moor /mʊə/, tore /tɔː/ and tour /tʊə/, as well as paw /pɔː/ and poor /pʊə/. If one wishes to make that distinction today it would be best to use /ɵː/ instead of /ʊə/. This will lead to tore as /toː/ and tour as /tɵː/.
^ /ɔː, aʊ, ɔɪ/ are never reduced. In some dialects, such as Australian, all reduced vowels become [ə].

References

Bauer, Laurie; Warren, Paul; Bardsley, Dianne; Kennedy, Marianna; Major, George (2007), "New Zealand English", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 37 (1): 97–102, doi:10.1017/S0025100306002830
Boberg, Charles (2004). "English in Canada: phonology". In Schneider, Edgar W.; Burridge, Kate; Kortmann, Bernd; Mesthrie, Rajend; Upton, Clive (eds.). A Handbook of Varieties of English. Vol. Volume 1: Phonology. Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 351–365. ISBN 978-3-11-017532-5. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Bekker, Ian (2008). "The vowels of South African English" (PDF). {{cite web}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Coupland, Nikolas; Thomas, Alan R., eds. (1990), English in Wales: Diversity, Conflict, and Change, Multilingual Matters Ltd., ISBN 1-85359-032-0
Gimson, A. C. (1980). An Introduction to the Pronunciation of English (3rd ed.). London: Edward Arnold. ISBN 0-7131-6287-2.
Harrington, J.; Cox, F.; Evans, Z. (1997). "An acoustic phonetic study of broad, general, and cultivated Australian English vowels". Australian Journal of Linguistics. 17: 155–84. doi:10.1080/07268609708599550. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Cox, Felicity; Palethorpe, Sallyanne (2007), "Australian English" (PDF), Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 37 (3): 341–350, doi:10.1017/S0025100307003192
Kenyon, John S. (1950). American Pronunciation (10th ed.). Ann Arbor: George Wahr. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Kenyon, John S.; Knott, Thomas A. (1953) [1944]. A Pronouncing Dictionary of American English. Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster. ISBN 0-87779-047-7. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Lass, Roger (2002). "South African English". In Mesthrie, Rajend (ed.). Language in South Africa. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521791052. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Mannell, R.; Cox, F.; Harrington, J. (2009). An Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. Macquarie University. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Roach, Peter (2004). "British English: Received Pronunciation". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 34 (2): 239–245. doi:10.1017/S0025100304001768. {{cite journal}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Sailaja, Pingali (2009). Indian English. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Ltd. pp. 17–38. ISBN 9780748625949. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Schneider, Edgar W.; Kortmann, Bernd (2004). A Handbook of Varieties of English. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-017532-0.
Scobbie, James M.; Gordeeva, Olga B.; Matthews, Benjamin (2006). "Acquisition of Scottish English Phonology: an overview". Edinburgh: QMU Speech Science Research Centre Working Papers. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)
Wells, John C. (2000). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (2nd ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited. ISBN 0-582-36468-X.
Wells, John C. (1982). Accents of English. Vol. II: The British Isles. Cambridge, New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-28541-0. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

External links

The International Phonetic Alphabet (revised to 2005) Symbols for all languages are shown on this one-page chart.
lexconvert a GPL command-line program to convert between Unicode IPA and the ASCII notations of various English speech synthesizers
Online IPA editor for English
Online IPA lessons and practice for American accent
Online/Offline IPA editor for English
IPA transcription systems for English – discussion by John C. Wells of RP transcriptions

[PE-1] This is a compromise IPA transcription, which covers most dialects of English.

[2] /t/ is pronounced [ɾ] in some positions in GA and Australian English, and is possible in RP in words like butter, [ʔ] in some positions in Scottish English, English English, American English and Australian English, and [t̞] non-initially in Irish English.

[3] /d/ is pronounced [ɾ] if preceded and followed by vowels in GA and Australian English.

[4] /θ/ is pronounced as a dental stop [t̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /f/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /t/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. The dental stop [t̪] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /θ/.

[5] /ð/ is pronounced as a dental stop [d̪] in Irish English, Newfoundland English, Indian English, and New York English, merges with /v/ in some varieties of English English, and merges with /d/ in some varieties of Caribbean English. [d̪] also occurs in other dialects as an allophone of /ð/.

[6] The glottal fricative /h/ is often pronounced as voiced [ɦ] between vowel sounds and after voiced consonants.

[7] /h/ is pronounced [ç] before the palatal approximant /j/, and sometimes before high front vowels.

[8] The bilabial nasal /m/ is pronounced as labiodental [ɱ] before f and v, as in symphony [ˈsɪɱfəni], circumvent [ˌsɝkəɱˈvɛnt], some value [ˌsʌɱˈvæɫjuː].

[9] In some dialects, such as Brummie, words like ringer, sing /ˈɹɪŋə ˈsɪŋ/, which have a velar nasal [ŋ] in most dialects, are pronounced with an additional /ɡ/, like "finger": /ˈɹɪŋɡə/.

[10] Velarized [ɫ] traditionally does not occur in Irish English; clear or plain [l] does not occur in Australian, New Zealand, Scottish, or American English. RP, some other English accents, and South African English, however, have clear [l] in syllable onsets and dark [ɫ] in syllable rimes.

[voiceless_sonorant-11] Sonorants are voiceless after a fortis (voiceless) stop at the beginning of a stressed syllable.

[12] L-vocalization in which l is pronounced as [ɤ] is prevalent in Standard Singapore English.

[13] L-vocalization in which l is pronounced as [w], [o], and [ʊ] occurs in New Zealand English and many regional accents not included in the chart, such as Cockney, New York English, Estuary English, Pittsburgh English, and African-American Vernacular English.

[r-14] /r/ is pronounced as a tap [ɾ] in some varieties of Scottish and Irish English.

[15] R-labialization, in which r is pronounced as [ʋ], is found in some accents in Southern England.

[16] Some dialects, such as Scottish English, Irish English, and many American South and New England dialects, distinguish voiceless [ʍ] from voiced [w]; see wine–whine merger and voiceless labiovelar approximant.

[17] Marginal in most accents, and otherwise merged with /k/, see Lock–loch merger.

[18] This common English interjection is usually pronounced with [x] in unscripted spoken English, but it is most often read /ʌɡ/ or /ʌk/

[19] Harrington, Cox & Evans (1997)

[20] Cox & Palethorpe (2007)

[21] Boberg (2004)

[22] Kenyon & Knott (1953)

[23] Kenyon (1950)

[Mannell_2009-24] Mannell, Cox & Harrington (2009)

[25] Sailaja (2009:19–26)

[26] Wells (1982:422)

[27] Bauer et al. (2007:97–102)

[28] Roach (2004:241–243). See Pronunciation respelling for English#International Phonetic Alphabet for the alternative system devised by Clive Upton for Oxford University Press dictionaries.

[29] "Case Studies – Received Pronunciation Phonology – RP Vowel Sounds". British Library.

[30] Scobbie, Gordeeva & Matthews (2006:7)

[31] Bekker (2008)

[32] Lass (2002:111–119)

[33] Coupland & Thomas (1990:93–136)

[badlad-34] See bad–lad split for this distinction.

[shortatensing-35] In most of the United States (with high dialectal variation), and to a lesser degree in Canada, special /æ/ tensing systems occur.

[36] Suzanna Bet Hashim and Brown, Adam (2000) 'The [e] and [æ] vowels in Singapore English'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.) The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics ISBN 981-04-2598-8, pp. 84–92.

[oxforda-37] Often transcribed /a/ for RP, for example in dictionaries of the Oxford University Press.

[38] Deterding, David (2007). Singapore English. United Kingdom: Edinburgh University Press. pp. 24–26. ISBN 978 0 7486 3096 7.

[39] ɒ~ɔ occurs in American accents without the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers); the rest have ɑ.

[40] In American accents without the cot–caught merger, the LOT vowel (generally written o) appears as ɒ~ɔ instead of ɑ before the fricatives /f/, /θ/ and /s/ and the velar nasal /ŋ/; also usually before /ɡ/, especially in single-syllable words (dog, log, frog, etc.), and occasionally before /k/ (as in chocolate). See Lot–cloth split. In American accents with the cot–caught merger (about half of today's speakers), only ɑ occurs.

[kit-41] It is not clear whether this a true phonemic split, since the distribution of the two sounds is predictable; see Kit–bit split.

[Singapore'_pp._93-99-42] Deterding, David (2000) 'Measurements of the /eɪ/ and /oʊ/ vowels of young English speakers in Singapore'. In Adam Brown, David Deterding and Low Ee Ling (eds.), The English Language in Singapore: Research on Pronunciation, Singapore: Singapore Association for Applied Linguistics, pp. 93–99.

[43] Mary W.J. Tay (1982). "'The phonology of educated Singapore English'". English World-Wide. "3" ("2"): 135–45. doi:10.1075/eww.3.2.02tay.

[collinse-44] Often transcribed /e/ for RP, for example in Collins English Dictionary.

[FFFM-45] See Fern–fir–fur merger for this distinction in some varieties.

[r-colored_schwa-46] Sometimes transcribed for GA as [əɹ], especially in transcriptions that represent both rhotic and non-rhotic pronunciations, as [ə(ɹ)].

[47] The STRUT vowel in BrE is highly variable in the triangle defined by ə, ʌ and ɑ, see 'STRUT for Dummies'

[48] In Welsh English, you, yew and ewe are /juː/, /jɪu/ and /ɪu/ respectively; in most other varieties of English they are homophones.

[canadianraising-49] Some dialects of North American English have a vowel shift called Canadian raising, in which the first element of the diphthongs /aɪ, aʊ/ is raised in certain cases, yielding [ʌɪ̯, ʌʊ̯] or [əɪ̯, əʊ̯]. Canadian English has raising of both diphthongs, but most dialects in the United States only have raising of /aɪ/. In monosyllables, raising occurs before voiceless consonants, so right [ɹʌɪ̯t] and out [ʌʊ̯t] have raised vowels, but eyes [aɪz] and loud [laʊd] do not.

[NZE_centering-50] Merging NEAR and SQUARE is especially common amongst young New Zealanders.

[airsymbol-51] While the actual pronunciation is [ɛə(ɹ) ~ ɛː(ɹ)], it can also be transcribed /eə(ɹ)/.

[52] Roach (2004) notes that many people in England use [oː] for this vowel, but also that RP traditionally distinguishes between maw /mɔː/ and moor /mʊə/, tore /tɔː/ and tour /tʊə/, as well as paw /pɔː/ and poor /pʊə/. If one wishes to make that distinction today it would be best to use /ɵː/ instead of /ʊə/. This will lead to tore as /toː/ and tour as /tɵː/.

[53] /ɔː, aʊ, ɔɪ/ are never reduced. In some dialects, such as Australian, all reduced vowels become [ə].

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Revision as of 09:57, 5 April 2018

Chart

See also

Notes

References

External links