Help:IPA/Conventions for English: Difference between revisions

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The various English dictionaries use different and sometimes conflicting [[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 thesethe more widely used dictionaries with the conventions of the [[WP:IPA for English]] 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 [[WP:IPA for English]] key, on the other hand, is intended to cover both RP and [[General American]]. As such, Wikipedia transcribes /r/ where it is found in rhotic dialects, but also the vowel distinctions found in non-rhotic dialects, without separating distinct UK and US pronunciations. 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.