We make a lot more sounds in speech than you probably realize. In fact, linguists have made a chart of them all, called the International Phonetic Alphabet or the IPA (not to be confused with Indian Pale Ale!). Still, as a non-linguist, this chart is not very easy to understand.
So, let’s get into what it means and how to use it, because it can be an invaluable tool as a language learner.
This post might get a little more technical than most of my language posts, but that’s just the nature of the beast. As always, I will do what I can to make it easy to understand without any prior knowledge.
What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?
The IPA, like I said above, is a way of representing every sound used in human language.
We use a lot more sounds than we think we do, and oftentimes we use them in situations we don’t even realize. For example, as an American, I actually pronounce butter with a ‘d’ sound instead of a ‘t’.
So, in order to make linguistics easier across different languages and cultures, the IPA was invented. It allows linguists all over the world to understand what sound is being made, regardless of how the word is normally written. Each letter is understood to always represent one, and only one, sound.
The International Phonetic Alphabet employs many symbols beyond those we use in the English alphabet, sometimes altering them for new sounds. For example, ɹ represents the English r sound we typically use, while ɾ represents the Spanish tapped r.
There are many special symbols or letter placements used in the IPA, too. Letters might be placed on the corner of another as a subscript or superscript to indicate some change in pronunciation. They could also be connected with a line over them to indicate some special sound made by a combination of the two.
For an example of what it looks like, the word ‘traveler’ is written: ˈtɹæv.lɚ. The dots indicate syllables.
Why Use the International Phonetic Alphabet?
The International Phonetic Alphabet is primarily for linguists to study language and communicate their ideas without language barriers getting in the way.
But even as a language learner it can help you a lot. Look for pronunciation guides to a language you’re learning that use the IPA. Then, you have a perfect reference for what sound you need to make without getting caught up in dialects or not hearing something correctly.
In my own language guides, I avoid using English words as a reference point for the same reason that the IPA exists. If your accent or pronunciation of a word is different from mine, then it won’t work as an example.
I also avoid using the IPA for examples. This is only because I want to make those resources as accessible as possible. If I put in IPA spellings, it might overcomplicate things for someone only looking to learn the basics of a language.
As a full-on language learner, though, you might find it to be an extremely valuable resource. So let’s get into it!
Understanding the Layout of the IPA Chart
I guess it’s finally time I show you what the IPA chart looks like. Here’s a good link with audio. Simply click on a letter to hear what it sounds like.
Once you look at this, I’m sure it looks immediately intimidating. Don’t worry, I felt the same way when I started learning about it. It’s fairly simple once you know what you’re doing.
Consonant Chart
Starting with the chart of consonants, from top to bottom they’re ordered based on how the sound is made. Plosive, for example, is a quick sound made with a burst of air, like ‘p’ or ‘b’. (Linguists call this “manner”.)
We go from left to right in this chart based on where the sound is made. The left side here represents the front of the mouth. Bilabial sounds are those made with both lips. As the chart continues right, we get further into the mouth. So from the lips, to the teeth, to the roof of the mouth and the back of the throat. (Linguists call this “place”.)
Another thing you may have noticed is that a lot of categories have two letters. This is because some letters, like ‘t’ and ‘d’, for example, are formed in the same way and in the same place. The difference here is that ‘d’ is voiced and ‘t’ isn’t; some sounds don’t vibrate your vocal cords when you talk. Try it! Put your hand on your voice box and say each of those letters. You’ll notice a difference right away! With voiced letters, you’ll feel your voice box vibrate. Letters on the left are voiceless, and letters on the right are voiced.
Many of these letters might look immediately familiar based on English letters, but there are a lot of weird ones, too. Believe it or not, ʃ is a sound we use in English. (It’s the ‘sh’ sound!)
I’m sure you noticed all the blank spaces on this chart, too. The gray spaces are for sounds we physically cannot make. Lighter-colored blank spots are for sounds we can make, but that are not used in any known language.
Feel free to click around to try to make some of the sounds yourself!
The Vowel Chart
Going from the consonant chart, the vowel chart looks a lot weirder. It’s a trapezoid filled with lines in weird spots and letters all over them. But it’s not that bad, I promise!
Like the consonant chart, this one is arranged by where in your mouth you make the sound, and how you make it. This one’s a little different, though.
The left-right location of each letter corresponds to where your tongue goes, with the left side being the front of your mouth. If you say ‘ee’, your tongue will be near the front of your mouth. When you say ‘oo’, it’s much closer to the back. You can test it by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth and making both sounds!
The top-bottom position on the chart is based on how open your mouth is. When you say ‘oo’ your mouth is more closed than if you say ‘aaaa’ like you’re at the dentist.
Finally, there is one more parameter to keep in mind: the letters are (mostly) grouped in pairs again. This part is based on how rounded or unrounded your mouth is. Using an example from above again, when you say ‘oo’ your mouth is rounded. When you say ‘ee’ your mouth is unrounded. Try saying ‘ee’ and make your mouth round. Notice how the sound is different?
Again, feel free to click around on this chart and experiment! See what sounds you can copy with the recording and the information on the chart!
Conclusion
I know there are more things on that chart than I talked about here. They’re for very specific cases, and not something you will usually need to know except for certain specific languages.
Of course, as a language learner, the IPA chart is not a necessary resource, but it is one that I think you should know about.
My goal, as always, is to make it easier for you to understand the mechanics and processes of language in a clear and easy way. The IPA is an amazing tool to help with pronouncing words correctly if you need a visual reference.
If you want to know more about language, I write about it all the time on this blog to help you understand the world around us. I’d recommend checking out this post to learn more about linguistics, or this section where I post easily digestible guides to various languages. (More to come very soon, I promise!)
I hope this article was informative and clear. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave them below, or contact me personally!
