Editing International Phonetic Alphabet (section)

{{Short description|System of phonetic notation}}
{{For|the spelling alphabet used in spoken communication over radio|NATO phonetic alphabet}}
{{Self-reference|For an introductory guide on IPA symbols with audio, see [[:Help:IPA]]. For the usage of the IPA on Wikipedia, see [[:Help:IPA/Introduction]] and [[:Help:IPA/English]].}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox writing system
|name = International Phonetic Alphabet
|type = Alphabet
|typedesc = – partially [[featural]]
|languages = Used for [[phonetic]] and [[phonemic]] transcription of any oral language
|time = 1888–present
| fam1 = [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]]
| fam2 = [[Proto-Sinaitic script]]
| fam3 = [[Phoenician alphabet]]
| fam4 = [[Greek alphabet]]
| fam5 = [[Latin script]]
| fam6 = [[Lepsius Standard Alphabet]]
| fam7 = [[Palaeotype alphabet]], [[English Phonotypic Alphabet]]
| fam8 = [[Romic alphabet]]
|sample = IPA in IPA.svg
|caption="IPA", [[narrow transcription|transcribed narrowly]] as {{IPA|[aɪ̯ pʰiː eɪ̯]}}
|unicode = ''See {{slink|Phonetic symbols in Unicode|Unicode blocks}}''
|iso15924 = 
}}
{{SpecialChars
| special = [[phonetic]] [[symbol]]s
| fix = Help:Special characters
| characters = phonetic symbols
}}
The '''International Phonetic Alphabet''' ('''IPA''') is an [[alphabet]]ic system of [[phonetic notation]] based primarily on the [[Latin script]]. It was devised by the [[International Phonetic Association]] in the late 19th century as a standard written representation for the sounds of [[speech]].<ref name="IPA 1999">{{harvnb|International Phonetic Association|1999}}</ref> The IPA is used by [[linguists]], [[lexicography|lexicographers]], [[foreign language]] students and teachers, [[speech–language pathology|speech–language pathologists]], singers, actors, [[constructed language]] creators, and [[translators]].<ref name="world">{{Cite book |last=MacMahon |first=Michael K. C. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780195079937/page/821 |title=The World's Writing Systems |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1996 |isbn=0-19-507993-0 |editor=Daniels |editor-first=P. T. |location=New York |pages=821–846 |chapter=Phonetic Notation |editor2=Bright |editor-first2=W.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |first=Joan |last=Wall |title=International Phonetic Alphabet for Singers: A Manual for English and Foreign Language Diction |publisher=Pst |year=1989 |isbn=1-877761-50-8}}</ref>

The IPA is designed to represent those qualities of [[speech]] that are part of [[lexical item|lexical]] (and, to a limited extent, [[prosodic]]) sounds in [[oral language]]: [[phone (phonetics)|phones]], [[Intonation (linguistics)|intonation]] and the separation of [[syllable]]s.<ref name="IPA 1999" /> To represent additional qualities of speech{{snd}}such as tooth [[wikt:gnash|gnashing]], [[lisp]]ing, and sounds made with a [[cleft lip and cleft palate|cleft palate]]{{snd}}an [[extensions to the International Phonetic Alphabet|extended set of symbols]] may be used.<ref name="world" /> 

Segments are [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcribed]] by one or more IPA symbols of two basic types: [[letter (alphabet)|letters]] and [[diacritic]]s. For example, the sound of the English [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] {{angbr|ch}} may be transcribed in IPA with a single letter: {{IPA|[c]}},{{not verified in body|date=May 2025}} or with multiple letters plus diacritics: {{IPA|[t̠̺͡ʃʰ]}}, depending on how precise one wishes to be. Slashes are used to signal [[phonemic transcription]]; therefore, {{IPA|/tʃ/}} is more abstract than either {{IPA|[t̠̺͡ʃʰ]}} or {{IPA|[c]}} and might refer to either, depending on the context and language.{{NoteTag|The small minus under the {{angbr|t̠̺͡ʃʰ}} specifies it as [[postalveolar]] (pronounced slightly back from the [[alveolar ridge]]), the inverted bridge specifies it as [[apical consonant|apical]] (pronounced with the tip of the tongue), and the superscript ''h'' shows that it is [[aspirated consonant|aspirated]] (breathy). The latter two qualities cause the English {{IPA|/tʃ/}} to sound different from the Italian or Spanish {{IPA|/tʃ/}}, which is a [[laminal]] (pronounced with the blade of the tongue){{Citation needed|date=November 2024|reason=Please point to a source which confirms that Spanish and Italian post-alveolar affricates are tip-down (i.e. laminal).}} and unaspirated {{IPA|[t̠̻͡ʃ]}}. {{IPA|[t̠̺͡ʃʰ]}} and {{IPA|[t̠̻͡ʃ]}} are thus two different, though similar, sounds.}}

Occasionally, letters or diacritics are added, removed, or modified by the International Phonetic Association. As of the most recent change in 2005,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/ipachart.html |title=IPA: Alphabet |publisher=UCL Division of Psychology and Language Sciences |access-date=20 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010121927/http://www.langsci.ucl.ac.uk/ipa/ipachart.html |archive-date=10 October 2012}}</ref> there are 107 segmental letters, an indefinitely large number of suprasegmental letters, 44 diacritics (not counting composites), and four extra-lexical [[prosodic]] marks in the IPA. These are illustrated in the current [[IPA chart]], posted below in this article and on the International Phonetic Association's website.<ref>{{cite web |title=Full IPA Chart |url=https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/content/full-ipa-chart |website=International Phonetic Association |access-date=24 April 2017 |archive-date=27 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227153233/https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/content/full-ipa-chart |url-status=live}}</ref>