Help:IPA/Conventions for English: Difference between revisions

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<span lang="en" dir="ltr">The</span> various English dictionaries use different and sometimes conflicting [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] transcriptions for English. For example, the transcription {{IPA|/i/}} may be used for the vowel of ''sit'', of ''seat'', or at the end of ''city''. A dictionary may not even be consistent between one edition and the next. This table correlates the more widely used dictionaries with the conventions of the [[Help:IPA/English|IPA key that is used on Wikipedia]].

Most dictionaries transcribe a specific dialect or accent, such as the [[Received Pronunciation]] (RP) of the [[Oxford English Dictionary]], or a narrow range of dialects. Wikipedia's IPA key, on the other hand, is intended to cover RP, [[General American]], Australian, and other national standards. As such, Wikipedia transcribes {{IPA|/r/}} where it is found in rhotic dialects, but also the vowel distinctions found in non-rhotic dialects, without distinct UK and US transcriptions. Specific dialects may also be transcribed—local pronunciations of place names are often useful, for example—but they are normally written in addition to a more universal pronunciation.