International Phonetic Alphabet facts for kids
The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a special system for writing down all the sounds used in human languages. It was created in 1886 by the International Phonetic Association. The goal was to have a standard way to write down how words are pronounced.
Language experts, teachers, and translators use the IPA. It helps them show exactly how to say words. Even Wikipedia uses the IPA to help people pronounce certain words correctly. Most of the symbols look like letters from the Latin alphabet, or slightly changed versions of them. For example, the 'y' sound in yesterday is written as [].
IPA symbols can be written in two ways. You can use slashes (like /lɪtl/ for "little") for a general idea of the sound. Or, you can use square brackets (like [lɪɾɫ] for "little") for a more exact way of writing the sound. The square brackets give a more precise pronunciation.
The IPA only includes sounds that are normally used in spoken languages. For other special sounds, there's something called the Extended IPA. The IPA system sometimes changes, with new symbols added or old ones removed. Right now, there are 107 different letters in the IPA. There are also 52 small marks, called "diacritics," which are added to letters to change their sound.
Contents
History of the IPA
In 1886, a group of language teachers from France and the United Kingdom started the International Phonetic Association. At first, they used an older system called the Romic alphabet. Later, they changed it. They wanted to make sure that the same sounds in different languages were always written with the same letters. This made it much easier to learn and teach languages.
Why the IPA is Useful
The IPA is designed so that each symbol stands for only one sound. This means that every letter in the IPA always makes the same sound. This is different from English, where some letters can make many sounds. For example, the letter 'x' in English can sound like [ks] (as in "box"), [gz] (as in "exact"), or even [z] (as in "xylophone"). The IPA avoids this confusion by having a unique symbol for each sound.
Types of Sounds in IPA
The International Phonetic Alphabet has symbols for three main types of sounds:
- Pulmonic consonants
- Non-pulmonic consonants
- Vowels
Pulmonic Consonants Explained
Pulmonic consonants are sounds made by blocking air that comes from your lungs. Most consonant sounds, including all the consonants in English, are pulmonic. These sounds are organized in a chart. The chart shows where in your mouth the sound is made (like with your lips or tongue) and how the sound is made (like by stopping the air completely or letting it flow).
Non-Pulmonic Consonants Explained
Non-pulmonic consonants are sounds made without using air from your lungs. There are three main kinds:
- Implosive consonants: These are made by sucking air into your mouth.
- Ejective consonants: These are made by forcing air out of your voice box, instead of your lungs.
- Click consonants: These are made by trapping air in a part of your mouth and then quickly releasing it.
Images for kids
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This chart shows a version of the IPA. The black symbols are on the official IPA chart. The grey symbols are extra ones, some from the extIPA or older versions.
See also
In Spanish: Alfabeto Fonético Internacional para niños
