Introduction to International Phonetic Alphabet
- Neel Byrappagari
- Jun 19, 2024
- 2 min read
The International Phonetic Alphabet or IPA was created as a way to represent all the various sounds a human is able to make in a standardized way regardless of language or accent. However, since there are so many different sounds across so many languages, the IPA is quite large and complex.
Here's a quick overview of how the IPA works. For consonants, there are 3 factors that are taken into account.
Voicing
Place of articulation
Manner of articulation
Voicing relates to the use of vocal folds. If the sound is produced by vibrating one's vocal folds, for example, zap, that's a “voiced” word. If the sound doesn’t involve vibration of the vocal folds, for example, sap, that’s known as a “voiceless” word.
Place of articulation relates to where the sound is actually being produced in the airstream.There are 8 different categories used to describe these places ranging from “bilabial” which represents the lips, all the way to “glottal” which represents the back of the throat.
Lastly, the manner of articulation relates to how our airstream is changed to make a sound. A stop is a full obstruction of airflow, for example, “p” or “b.” A fricative is almost full obstruction but air is able to escape through a small opening, for example, “f” or “v.” An affricate is a sound made by briefly obstructing the airflow and then releasing. A nasal, as the name suggests, involves air flowing out of the nasal cavity, for example, “m” or “n.” Approximants have partial constriction but less than fricatives, for example, “j” or “w.” Lastly, flaps involve rapid obstruction, most commonly seen in the rolled r or ɾ sound.
For vowels, there are 4 factors that are taken into account.
Vowel Height
Tongue Advancement
Rounded or Unrounded
Tense or Lax
The first two both relate to the placement of the tongue when making sounds. The tongue can either be High, Mid, or Low, and also either in the Front, Center, or Back. Additionally, the rounding or lack of rounding of the lips is also taken into consideration (for example ‘u’ is rounded but ‘e’ is not). Lastly, while not present in all languages, in some languages such as English, sounds are distinct between whether the muscles are tense or relaxed, leading to tense sounds (i) or lax ones (ɪ).
Here are a few links to explore this fascinating topic more:
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