Mastering the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for Accents

Welcome to our friendly corner of the internet, where we offer valuable tips for voice over artists and audiobook narrators! Today, we're diving into IPA… not the lovely hoppy West Coast ale type, but the International Phonetic Alphabet (just as fun, right?)… a powerful tool that can help you master different accents and improve your pronunciation skills. By the end of this article, you'll know how to write down words and sentences using IPA, and how to use it to write out different accents.

What is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)?

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a system of phonetic notation devised by linguists to accurately and uniquely represent each sound of human speech. Unlike the regular alphabet, where letters can represent multiple sounds, the IPA assigns a specific symbol to each distinct sound, making it an incredibly precise tool for linguists, actors, and anyone learning new languages or accents.

The Sounds and Symbols of IPA

Let's start with the basics. Each sound in a word is represented by an IPA symbol. Here's a quick guide to some of the most common symbols and their corresponding sounds:

 Consonants

/p/ - as in "pat"

/b/ - as in "bat"

/t/ - as in "tap"

/d/ - as in "dog"

/k/ - as in "cat"

/g/ - as in "goat"

/m/ - as in "man"

/n/ - as in "no"

/ŋ/ - as in the ‘ng’ in "sing"

/f/ - as in "fish"

/v/ - as in "van"

/θ/ - as in "think"

/ð/ - as in "this"

/s/ - as in "sit"

/z/ - as in "zip"

/ʃ/ - as in "she"

/ʒ/ - as in the voiced fricative in “vision” and "measure"

/h/ - as in "hat"

/l/ - as in "lamp"

/w/ - as in "win"

/j/ - as in “yes” and "yellow”

/ɹ/ - as in "red" 

Note: many dictionaries will just use /r/ for the ‘r’ sound in “red” or “very” for ease of reading. However, this symbol actually represents a ‘trilled r’ like in very conservative RP or the trill we often hear in Spanish or Italian. For this article, we will use /ɹ/. 

Vowels

/æ/ - as in "trap"

/ɒ/ - as in "lot"

/ɪ/ - as in "kit"

/e/ or /ɛ/ - RP and General American, respectively, as in "dress"

/ʊ/ - as in "foot"

/ʌ/ - as in "strut"

/ə/ - as in the first sound in "about" and “above”, known as the schwa sound

/ɑː/ - as in "palm"

/iː/ - as in "fleece"

/ɔː/ - as in "thought"

/uː/ - as in "goose"

/ɜː/ - as in "nurse" 

Diphthongs 

/eɪ/ - as in "face”

/aɪ/ - as in "price"

/aʊ/ - as in "mouth"

/ɔɪ/ - as in "choice"

/ɪə/ - as in "near"

/eə/ - as in "square"

/ʊə/ - as in "cure"

How to Write Words IPA

Here's how you might write a simple word in IPA:

• "Cat" = /kæt/

• "Book" = /bʊk/

You can also write more complex words, including the stress for the syllables. To stress a syllable, we write a /‘/ before it, for example:

• “Discover” = /dɪˈskʌvə(ɹ)/

The (ɹ) at the end there just means to pronounce the (ɹ) if you do in your accent.

Some words have a major stress /‘/ and a minor stress /,/. Again each symbol comes before the stressed syllable.

• “Pronunciation” = /prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn/

Longer sounds are shown by adding a /:/, for example:

• “Sit” = /sɪt/

• “Seat” = /siːt/

We can use a superscript of any symbol /ᵃ/ for a very slight sound:

• “Button” = /ˈbʌtᵊn/

However, [ʰ] means an aspirated [h] for an accent, Spanish as an example.

A sound that is common in some English accents is the ‘Glottal Stop’, symbolised with [ʔ], as in:

• “Uh oh” = /ˈʌʔoʊ/

• “Water” (London accent dropping the /t/) = /ˈwɔːʔə/

For a full list of all IPA symbols and their corresponding sounds, you can check out:

https://www.ipachart.com/ - For the sounds in RP and General American

Or

https://jbdowse.com/ipa/ - For a more comprehensive chart

Writing Full Sentences in IPA

When writing full sentences in IPA, you transcribe each word individually, paying attention to pronunciation. For example:

• Sentence: "The cat sat on the mat."

• IPA: /ðə kæt sæt ɒn ðə mæt/

Or something a little more complex:

• Sentence: “We can discover the pronunciation together.”

• IPA: /wi: kæn dɪˈskʌvə(ɹ) ðə prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn təˈɡeðə(ɹ)

Using IPA to Learn Accents

Now that you're familiar with the basics of IPA, let's use it to explore the differences between British RP and General American accents. We'll start with a few key phonetic distinctions:

1. Rhotic vs. Non-Rhotic:

• British RP: Non-rhotic, meaning the /ɹ/ sound is often not pronounced unless it comes before a vowel.

  Example: "Car" in RP is /kɑː/. “Actor” in RP is /ˈæktə/

• General American: Rhotic, meaning the /ɹ/ sound is always pronounced.

  Example: "Car" in General American is /kɑ:ɹ/. “Actor” in General American is /‘æktɚ/. 

Notice how the symbol for the ‘shwa’ sound /ə/ when joined with an /ɹ/ in General American is often written as /ɚ/.

2. Vowel Differences:

• The Trap/Bath split. Both say /tɹæp/ for the word “trap”. However, the word “bath” is said differently:

  /bɑ:θ/ - British RP

  /bæθ/ - General American

• Lot:

  /lɒt/ - British RP

  /lɑt/ - General American

• Thought:

  /θɔːt/ - British RP

  /θɑːt/ - General American

• Goat

  /ɡəʊt/ - British RP

  /ɡoʊt/ - General American

3. T-Flapping:

• British RP: The /t/ sound is pronounced clearly.

  Example: "Water" in RP is /ˈwɔːtə/.

• General American: The /t/ sound often becomes a flap, similar to a quick /d/. Shown by the IPA symbol /ɾ/

  Example: "Water" in General American is /ˈwɔ:ɾɚ/.

Example Sentences in IPA: RP vs. General American

Let's compare a couple of sentences to see these differences in action.

Sentence 1:

“The common actor, the standard writer, and the about author all sat in the upper gallery.”

British RP:

/ðə ˈkɒmən ˈæktə ðə ˈstændəd ˈraɪtə ənd ði əˈbaʊt ˈɔːθə ɔːl sæt ɪn ðə ˈʌpə ˈɡæləɹi/

American English:

/ðə ˈkɑmən ˈæktɚ ðə ˈstændəɹd ˈraɪɾɚ ənd ðə əˈbaʊt ˈɑːθɚ ɑːl sæt ɪn ðə ˈʌpɚ ˈɡæləɹi/

Sentence 2:

“The task of the guard dog was to bark, alarm the yard, and calm the last of the barn dancers.”

British RP:

/ðə tɑːsk ɒv ðə ɡɑːrd dɒɡ wəz tuː bɑːk əˈlɑːm ðə jɑːd ənd kɑːm ðə lɑːst əv ðə bɑːn ˈdɑːnsəz/

American English:

/ðə tæsk əv ðə ɡɑɹd dɑɡ wəz tuː bɑɹk əˈlɑɹm ðə jɑrd ənd kɑlm ðə læst əv ðə bɑɹn ˈdænsɚz/

Sentence 3:

 "I need some water to stop the smell hitting the top."

British RP:

/aɪ niːd sʌm ˈwɔːtə tə stɒp ðə smel hɪtɪŋ ðə tɒp/

General American:

/aɪ niːd səm ˈwɑɾɚ tə stɑp ðə smel hɪɾɪŋ ðə tɑp/

Practical Tips for Using IPA

1. Practice Regularly: The best way to get comfortable with IPA is through regular practice. Try transcribing different words and sentences, focusing on accurate pronunciation.

2. Listen and Repeat: Use audio resources to hear the correct pronunciation of sounds. Listen to native speakers of different accents and practice transcribing what you hear.

3. Use IPA Resources: Many online tools and dictionaries provide IPA transcriptions of words. These can be helpful references as you practice.

Oxford Learner’s Dictionary has both RP and General American IPA pronunciation. 

The Unalengua IPA app is great for transcribing into IPA. 

And there are a bunch of different IPA keyboards out there you can add to your phone or desktop to speed up writing! 

I use the Keyman Keyboard for my desktop and the IPA Phonetic Keyboard for my phone. 

Conclusion

Understanding and using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can significantly enhance your abilities as a voice over artist or audiobook narrator. By mastering IPA, you'll be able to accurately represent and practice different accents, improving your versatility and skill set. Start with the differences between British RP and General American accents, and soon you'll be able to tackle a wide range of accents with confidence. Happy /‘pɹæktɪsɪŋ/ !