Buzz
No writing system perfectly captures the nuances of spoken language, as each one interprets speech in its own way. For more than 100 years, the International Phonetic Alphabet has aimed to solve this issue by offering a precise method to transcribe the sounds of any language. Discover 11 fascinating details about the IPA.
1. ITS INITIAL GOAL WAS TO SIMPLIFY FOREIGN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION.
Learning a new language often leads to pronouncing written letters as you would in your native tongue. Paul Passy, a language educator, believed a phonetic-based system could prevent this interference. In 1886, he established the International Phonetic Association in Paris to promote this approach.
2. IT GREW TO ENCOMPASS A WIDER RANGE OF LANGUAGES.
Initially designed to accommodate the sounds of French, English, and German, the system later incorporated symbols for pharyngeals (e.g., [ʕ], found in Arabic), retroflex consonants ([ɖ], used in Hindi), clicks ([ǂ], present in Khoisan languages), and various other speech sounds. Today, it can accurately represent nearly every spoken language.
3. IT EXPANDED FROM APPROXIMATELY 40 TO NEARLY 200 SYMBOLS.
The IPA began with 30 consonants, 13 vowels, and a handful of diacritics. Over time, it has more than doubled its consonants and vowels, while also adding diacritics, tone markers, and other symbols, enabling the representation of thousands of distinct sounds.
4. IT CAN CAPTURE A KISS, A RASPBERRY, OR VOCAL FRY.
Since bilabial clicks ([ʘ], resembling a kiss), bilabial trills ([ʙ], similar to blowing a raspberry without the tongue), and creaky voiced articulations ([a̰], known as “vocal fry”) are recognized as speech sounds in certain languages, they are also assigned IPA symbols.
5. ARTICLES IN THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ASSOCIATION’S JOURNAL WERE WRITTEN IN IPA UNTIL 1971.
Originally named Dhi Fonètik Tîtcerz' Asóciécon, the International Phonetic Association published its journal as Dhi Fonètik Tîtcer. In 1889, the journal was rebranded as Le Maître Phonétique, and articles continued to be written in the phonetic alphabet whenever possible. This tradition ceased in 1971 when the journal was renamed the Journal of the International Phonetic Association. Above is an excerpt from a French article titled "Ecriture Phonétique Simplifie," or simplified phonetic writing.
6. SPECIAL TYPEWRITERS WERE DESIGNED FOR WRITING IN IPA.
To simplify the process of writing in the phonetic alphabet, typewriters were either adapted or specifically manufactured for this purpose. However, they were quite expensive: Models advertised in a 1912 supplement to Le Maître Phonétique would cost between $1600 and $3200 in today’s currency.
7. IT’S DETAILED ENOUGH TO CAPTURE VARIOUS ACCENTS.
You can experiment with it yourself on Lingorado, where text can be converted into IPA for both British and American pronunciations, with audio results available. Compare the British (above) and American (below) renditions of “Herbs and tomatoes for your vitamin laboratory.”
8. IT HELPS SINGERS MASTER ARIAS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
Opera performers often need to master songs in multiple languages. Beyond learning the music and notes, they must also perfect the pronunciation of the lyrics. To avoid misinterpreting written words, they study IPA transcriptions of the text. A vast collection of IPA song versions is available (for purchase) at IPA Source; the example above is from Bizet's Carmen.
9. LITERATURE CAN BE READ IN IPA.
While literature in IPA is rare, you can find works like ˈÆlɪsɪz Ədˈventʃəz ɪn ˈWʌndəˌlænd or Charles Dickens' Our Mutual Friend. Additionally, a 1914 humor book titled English Humor in Phonetic Transcript offers an entertaining way to practice IPA.
10. USING IT REVEALS LINGUISTIC DETAILS HIDDEN BY WRITING SYSTEMS.
What sound does 'th' produce? Two distinct sounds, as different as 'p' and 'b.' In IPA, these are represented by [θ] for the voiceless sound in breath and [ð] for the voiced sound in breathe. Does thing contain an 'n' sound? Not exactly. When pronounced, the tongue's tip doesn’t touch the alveolar ridge as it typically would for an 'n.' Instead, the back of the tongue meets the velum, creating a velar nasal sound, symbolized as [ŋ]. Why does no sound different in English and Spanish? Spanish uses a pure mid back rounded vowel [o], while American English employs a diphthong [oʊ].
11. IT MAKES FOR AN IMPRESSIVE TATTOO
Image courtesy of Steve Kleinedler. Design by Kyle Nelson of Stoltze Design and art by Mike Helz of Stingray Body Art.
The IPA vowels aren’t just symbols—they’re organized into a chart where each symbol’s position reflects the tongue’s placement in the mouth when producing that vowel. This creates not only a key but also a visually engaging display. Steve Kleinedler, Executive Editor at American Heritage Dictionary, has the complete IPA vowel chart tattooed on his back.
