THE INTERNATIONAL

PHONETIC
ALPHABET
I.P.A.
 THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET

                  CONTENTS OF THIS PRESENTATION

• 1. What is the International Phonetic Alphabet? (I.P.A.)
• 2. Why is it important for you in this course?
• 3. Your task for today. Download 2 apps
• 4. Sources
 1. WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET?

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system

of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet. 
-The IPA is used by:

• Lexicographers: people who compile dictionaries

• Foreign language students
• Teachers, linguists, speechlanguage pathologists, 
• Singers, actors, and  translators to approximate the sounds of a language.
 2. WHAT IS THE INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET?

In simple words:
The IPA are those symbols you see next to a word in a dictionary, and which  tell you the
exact  pronunciation of a word. They also tell you where to stress it. 
• Ex: laughter /ˈlæftɚ/

Important: Some symbols may vary depending on the dictionary you consult and on the
individual characterisctics of the sounds of a country or region: American/British/Australian,
etc).
 3. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR  YOU IN THIS COURSE

• It will help you approximate the  pronunciation of a word. 

• It can help you correct your own pronunciation mistakes. 
• It can help you become less dependent on a teacher or on audio tools to monitor your
pronunciation. 

IMPORTANT:
• You are not expected to memorize all symbols of the I.P.A. or become a phonetics expert
in this two-month course. Instead, you will become more aware of the differences between
written and spoken English as well as the differences between  English and Spanish
consonant and vowel sounds.
 3.  TASK 1
Download the following 2 apps on your phone:
1. Phonetics
2. WordReference
We will start using them in class and I will explain their use.
Phonetics is an app where you can learn and practice with IPA
symbols.

WordReference is an online dictionary that we recommend. After

that, continue with task 2 on BrightSpace. 
 5. REFERENCES

• All the information in this presentation was retrieved and adapted from:
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Phonetic_Alphabet#History
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/International-Phonetic-Alphabet
• https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/content/history-ipa