Oscar De La Huerte answered
Transcribing sounds through written characters has gone on for centuries, and it would be difficult to examine every system ever created.
The International Phonetic Alphabet is the modern alphabet most contemporary linguists abide by. Its invention can be attributed to the International Phonetic Association, and their work during the last quarter of the 19th century.
The International Phonetic Alphabet is the modern alphabet most contemporary linguists abide by. Its invention can be attributed to the International Phonetic Association, and their work during the last quarter of the 19th century.
What is the International Phonetic Association?
The International Phonetic Association (or IPA) was a combined British and French effort, founded with the objective of creating an alphabet that could phonetically represent the sounds of oral language across the world.
The association was founded in 1886 in Paris, France, and consisted mainly of language teachers - with the most notable being Paul Passy (1859-1940).
The group were responsible for publishing the Association's first alphabet in 1888, which was loosely derived from Henry Sweet's Romic alphabet, as well as concepts borrowed from other respected linguists of the time.
The association was founded in 1886 in Paris, France, and consisted mainly of language teachers - with the most notable being Paul Passy (1859-1940).
The group were responsible for publishing the Association's first alphabet in 1888, which was loosely derived from Henry Sweet's Romic alphabet, as well as concepts borrowed from other respected linguists of the time.
The Phonetic Alphabet
The phonetic alphabet attempts to maintain a one-to-one relationship
between a specific sound and its representing symbol or character. This stands in contrast to traditional languages like English, in which the words bough and rough might look similar, but are pronounced in markedly different ways.
In IPA transcription for example, bough would be written /baʊ/, whereas rough would appear as /rʌf/ - two distinct transcriptions for two different sounding words.
The phonetic alphabet is often represented in the form of a chart which you can view here.
The organization of the chart is intended to ensure that consonant sounds appear according to their voicing, place of articulation and manner of articulation (VPM).
The vowel classification diagram is an attribute that was added following the development of the 'cardinal vowel system' by Daniel Jones, a student of Passy's. It measures the height, backness, and roundedness of a vowel.
between a specific sound and its representing symbol or character. This stands in contrast to traditional languages like English, in which the words bough and rough might look similar, but are pronounced in markedly different ways.
In IPA transcription for example, bough would be written /baʊ/, whereas rough would appear as /rʌf/ - two distinct transcriptions for two different sounding words.
The phonetic alphabet is often represented in the form of a chart which you can view here.
The organization of the chart is intended to ensure that consonant sounds appear according to their voicing, place of articulation and manner of articulation (VPM).
The vowel classification diagram is an attribute that was added following the development of the 'cardinal vowel system' by Daniel Jones, a student of Passy's. It measures the height, backness, and roundedness of a vowel.
