Help:IPA/Conventions for English: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 01:24, 7 August 2009

Revision as of 01:26, 7 August 2009

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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.

When entering IPA in an article, please use the {{tl|IPA}} template so that it is formatted properly on all web browsers. /Slashes/ and [brackets] should be included inside the IPA template, so that they display in the same font as the IPA itself. Also, please use proper stress: {{IPA|ˈ}} and length: {{IPA|ː}} marks (available at the bottom of your edit window) rather than the non-IPA shortcuts of apostrophe ' and colon :. Depending on the reader's font preferences, the latter can be ambiguous.

For a list of those languages other than English which have agreed-upon transcriptions in Wikipedia, see {{tl|IPAhelp}}. For a comparison of the non-IPA transcriptions found in many US dictionaries, see [[Pronunciation respelling for English]].