“ | You'd be amazed at the number of times I've been with top professors in the field and I've asked them a question and they've said, 'I'm not too sure about that, let me check', and gone straight to Wikipedia. | ” |
— Brady Haran |
“ | [I]t must remain a general principle to leave out everything self-evident, and everything that can be explained once for all. This allows us to dispense almost completely with the modifiers, and with a good many other signs, except in scientific works and in introductory explanations. We write English fill and French fil the same way fil; yet the English vowel is 'wide' and the French 'narrow', and the English l is formed much further back than the French. If we wanted to mark these differences, we should write English fìl⊣, French fíl⊢. But we need not do so: we know, once for all, that English short i is always ì, and French i always í; that English l is always l⊣ and French l always l⊢. | ” |
— Aim and Principles of the International Phonetic Association (1904), p. 10 |
“ | If the relevant phonological system is known, a transcription can be devised which includes any number of additional symbols to indicate the phonetic realizations of the phonemes. ... Narrowness is regarded as a continuum, so that [tʃɛkðəlɛnzwɛɫ] might be regarded as a slightly narrow (or 'narrowed') transcription, and [tʃe̞ʔ͡kð̞əlɛ̃nzwæ̠ɫ] as very narrow ... the realizational information which is not explicit in a particular allophonic transcription is, in principle, provided by conventions. | ” |
— Handbook of the International Phonetic Association (1999), pp. 29–30 |
“ | 1. There should be a separate sign for each distinctive sound; that is, for each sound which, being used instead of another, in the same language, can change the meaning of a word.
2. When any sound is found in several languages, the same sign should be used in all. This applies also to very similar shades of sound. |
” |
— Text introducing the very first version of the International Phonetic Alphabet (1888) |
“ | The IPA is designed to be a set of symbols for representing all the possible sounds of the world's languages. The representation of these sounds uses a set of phonetic categories which describe how each sound is made. These categories define a number of natural classes of sounds that operate in phonological rules and historical sound changes. The symbols of the IPA are shorthand ways of indicating certain intersections of these categories. Thus [p] is a shorthand way of designating the intersection of the categories voiceless, bilabial, and plosive; [m] is the intersection of the categories voiced, bilabial, and nasal; and so on. The sounds that are represented by the symbols are primarily those that serve to distinguish one word from another in a language. | ” |
— "The Principles of the International Phonetic Association" (1989) |
“ | There can be many systems of phonemic transcription for the same variety of a language, all of which conform fully to the principles of the IPA. ... In English, for example, the contrast between the words bead and bid has phonetic correlates in both vowel quality and vowel duration. A phonemic representation which explicitly notes this might use the symbols /iː/ and /ɪ/ ... But it is equally possible unambiguously to represent these phonemes as /iː/ and /i/ ..., or as /i/ and /ɪ/ ... All three pairs of symbols are in accord with the principles of the IPA ... The IPA does not provide a phonological analysis for a particular language, let alone a single 'correct' transcription, but rather the resources to express any analysis so that it is widely understood. | ” |
— Handbook of the International Phonetic Association (1999), p. 30 |
“ | ˈkʌs.təm | ” |
— Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary |
“ | ˈkʌst əm | ” |
— Longman Pronunciation Dictionary |
“ | \ˈkə-stəm\ | ” |
— Merriam-Webster.com |
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"The Chaos" by Gerard Nolst Trenité:[1][2]
Dearest creatureinCreation,
/ˈdɪərɪst ˈkriːtʃər ɪn kriˈeɪʃən/Studying English pronunciation,
/ˈstʌdiɪŋ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən/I will teach you in my verse
/aɪ wɪl tiːtʃ juː ɪn maɪ vɜːrs/Sounds like corpse, corps, horse and worse.
/saʊndz laɪk kɔːrps kɔːr hɔːrs ən wɜːrs/It will keep you, Susy, busy,
/ɪt wɪl kiːp juː ˈsuːzi ˈbɪzi/Make your head with[3] heat grow dizzy;
/meɪk jʊər hɛd wɪð hiːt ɡroʊ ˈdɪzi/Tear in eye your dress you'll tear.
/tɪər ɪn aɪ jʊər drɛs juːl tɛər/So shall I! Oh, hear my prayer,
/soʊ ʃəl aɪ oʊ hɪər maɪ prɛər/Pray, console your loving poet,
/preɪ kənˈsoʊl jʊər ˈlʌvɪŋ ˈpoʊɪt/Make my coat look new, dear, sew it?
/meɪk maɪ koʊt lʊk njuː dɪər soʊ ɪt/Just compare heart, beard and heard,
/dʒʌst kəmˈpɛər hɑːrt bɪərd ən hɜːrd/Dies and diet, lord and word,
/daɪz ən ˈdaɪət lɔːrd ən wɜːrd/Sword and sward, retain and Britain,
/sɔːrd ən swɔːrd rɪˈteɪn ən ˈbrɪtən/(Mind the latter, how it's written!)
/maɪnd ðə ˈlætər haʊ ɪts ˈrɪtən/Made has not the sound of bade,
/meɪd həz nɒt ðə saʊnd əv bæd/Say—said, pay—paid, laid, but plaid.
/seɪ sɛd peɪ peɪd leɪd bət plæd/Now I surely will not plague you
/naʊ aɪ ˈʃʊərli wɪl nɒt pleɪɡ juː/With[3] such words as vague and ague,
/wɪð sʌtʃ wɜːrdz əz veɪɡ ən ˈeɪɡjuː/But be careful how you speak,
/bət biː ˈkɛərfəl haʊ juː spiːk/Say break, steak, but bleak and streak,
/seɪ breɪk steɪk bət bliːk ən striːk/Previous, precious; fuchsia, via;[4]
/ˈpriːviəs ˈprɛʃəs ˈfjuːʃə ˈvaɪə/Pipe, snipe, recipe and choir,
/paɪp snaɪp ˈrɛsɪpi ən kwaɪər/Cloven, oven; how and low;
/ˈkloʊvən ˈʌvən haʊ ən loʊ/Script, receipt; shoe, poem, toe,
/skrɪpt rɪˈsiːt ʃuː ˈpoʊɪm toʊ/Hear me say, devoid of trickery:
/hɪər miː seɪ dɪˈvɔɪd əv ˈtrɪkəri/Daughter, laughter[5] and Terpsichore,
/ˈdɔːtər ˈlɑːftər ən tɜːrpˈsɪkəri/Typhoid; measles, topsails, aisles;
/ˈtaɪfɔɪd ˈmiːzəlz ˈtɒpsəlz aɪlz/Exiles,[6] similes, reviles;
/ˈɛksaɪlz ˈsɪmɪliz rɪˈvaɪlz/Wholly, holly; signal, signing;
/ˈhoʊli ˈhɒli ˈsɪɡnəl ˈsaɪnɪŋ/Thames; examining, combining;
/tɛmz ɪɡˈzæmɪnɪŋ kəmˈbaɪnɪŋ/Scholar, vicar and cigar,
/ˈskɒlər ˈvɪkər ən sɪˈɡɑːr/Solar, mica, war and far.
/ˈsoʊlər ˈmaɪkə wɔːr ən fɑːr/From "desire": desirable—admirable from "admire";
/frəm dɪˈzaɪər dɪˈzaɪərəbəl ˈædmərəbəl frəm ədˈmaɪər/Lumber, plumber; bier but brier;
/ˈlʌmbər ˈplʌmər bɪər bət braɪər/Chatham, brougham;[7] renown but known,
/ˈtʃætəm bruːm rɪˈnaʊn bət noʊn/Knowledge; done, but gone[8] and tone,
/ˈnɒlɪdʒ dʌn bət ɡɒn ən toʊn/One, anemone; Balmoral;
/wʌn əˈnɛməni bælˈmɒrəl/Kitchen, lichen; laundry, laurel;
/ˈkɪtʃɪn ˈlaɪkən ˈlɔːndri ˈlɒrəl/Gertrude, German; wind and mind;
/ˈɡɜːrtruːd ˈdʒɜːrmən wɪnd ən maɪnd/Scene, Melpomene, mankind;
/siːn mɛlˈpɒmɪni mænˈkaɪnd/Tortoise, turquoise,[9] chamois-leather,
/ˈtɔːrtəs ˈtɜːrkwɑːz ˈʃæmi ˈlɛðər/Reading, Reading, heathen, heather.
/ˈriːdɪŋ ˈrɛdɪŋ ˈhiːðən ˈhɛðər/This phonetic labyrinth
/ðɪs fəˈnɛtɪk ˈlæbɪrɪnθ/[10]Gives moss,[11] gross, brook, brooch, ninth, plinth.
/ɡɪvz mɒs ɡroʊs brʊk broʊtʃ naɪnθ plɪnθ/Billet does not end like ballet;[12]
/ˈbɪlɪt dəz nɒt ɛnd laɪk ˈbæleɪ/Bouquet,[13] wallet, mallet, chalet;[14]
/bʊˈkeɪ ˈwɒlɪt ˈmælɪt ˈʃæleɪ/Blood and flood are not like food,
/blʌd ən flʌd ɑːr nɒt laɪk fuːd/Nor is mould like should and would.
/nɔːr ɪz moʊld laɪk ʃʊd ən wʊd/[10]Banquet is not nearly parquet,[15]
/ˈbæŋkwɪt ɪz nɒt ˈnɪərli ˈpɑːrki/Which is said to rime with[3] "darky".
/hwɪtʃ ɪz sɛd tə raɪm wɪð ˈdɑːrki/Viscous, viscount; load and broad;
/ˈvɪskəs ˈvaɪkaʊnt loʊd ən brɔːd/Toward, to forward, to reward,
/tɔːrd tə ˈfɔːrwərd tuː rɪˈwɔːrd/And your pronunciation's O.K.
/ənd jʊər prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃənz oʊˈkeɪ/[10]When you say correctly croquet;[16]
/hwɛn juː seɪ kəˈrɛktli ˈkroʊkeɪ/Rounded, wounded; grieve and sieve;
/ˈraʊndɪd ˈwuːndɪd ɡriːv ən sɪv/Friend and fiend; alive and live;
/frɛnd ən fiːnd əˈlaɪv ən lɪv/Liberty, library; heave and heaven;
/ˈlɪbərti ˈlaɪbrəri hiːv ən ˈhɛvən/Rachel, ache, moustache;[17] eleven.
/ˈreɪtʃəl eɪk məˈstɑːʃ ɪˈlɛvən/We say hallowed, but allowed;
/wiː seɪ ˈhæloʊd bət əˈlaʊd/People, leopard; towed, but vowed
/ˈpiːpəl ˈlɛpərd toʊd bət vaʊd/Mark the difference, moreover,
/mɑːrk ðə ˈdɪfərəns mɔːrˈoʊvər/Between mover, plover, Dover,
/bɪˈtwiːn ˈmuːvər ˈplʌvər ˈdoʊvər/Leeches, breeches;[18] wise, precise;
/ˈliːtʃɪz ˈbrɪtʃɪz waɪz prɪˈsaɪs/Chalice but police and lice.
/ˈtʃælɪs bət pəˈliːs ən laɪs/Camel; constable,[19] unstable;
/ˈkæməl ˈkʌnstəbəl ʌnˈsteɪbəl/Principle, disciple; label;
/ˈprɪnsɪpəl dɪˈsaɪpəl ˈleɪbəl/Petal, penal and canal;
/ˈpɛtəl ˈpiːnəl ənd kəˈnæl/Wait, surmise,[20] plait,[21] promise; pal.
/weɪt sɜːrˈmaɪz plæt ˈprɒmɪs pæl/Suit, suite, ruin, circuit, conduit[22]
/sjuːt swiːt ˈruːɪn ˈsɜːrkɪt ˈkɒndɪt/Rime with[3] "shirk it" and "beyond it",
/raɪm wɪð ʃɜːrk ɪt ən biˈɒnd ɪt/But it is not hard to tell,
/bət ɪt ɪz nɒt hɑːrd tə tɛl/Why it's pall, mall, but Pall Mall.
/hwaɪ ɪts pɔːl mɔːl bət pɛl mɛl/Muscle, muscular; gaol; iron;
/ˈmʌsəl ˈmʌskjʊlər dʒeɪl aɪərn/Timber, climber; bullion, lion,
/ˈtɪmbər ˈklaɪmər ˈbʊliən ˈlaɪən/Worm and storm; chaise, chaos, chair;
/wɜːrm ən stɔːrm ʃeɪz ˈkeɪɒs tʃɛər/Senator, spectator,[23] mayor.[24]
/ˈsɛnətər spɛkˈteɪtər mɛər/Ivy, privy; famous, clamour
/ˈaɪvi ˈprɪvi ˈfeɪməs ˈklæmər/And enamour rime with[3] "hammer."
/ənd ɪˈnæmər raɪm wɪð ˈhæmər/Pussy, hussy and possess.
/ˈpʊsi ˈhʌsi ən pəˈzɛs/Desert, but dessert, address.[25]
/ˈdɛzərt bət dɪˈzɜːrt əˈdrɛs/Golf,[26] wolf; countenance; lieutenants[27]
/ɡɒlf wʊlf ˈkaʊntənəns lɛfˈtɛnənts/Hoist, in lieu of flags, left pennants.
/hɔɪst ɪn ljuː əv flæɡz lɛft ˈpɛnənts/River, rival; tomb, bomb, comb;
/ˈrɪvər ˈraɪvəl tuːm bɒm koʊm/Doll[28] and roll and some and home.
/dɒl ən roʊl ən sʌm ən hoʊm/Stranger does not rime with[3] anger,
/ˈstreɪndʒər dəz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈæŋɡər/Neither[29] does devour with[3] clangour.
/ˈnaɪðər dəz dɪˈvaʊər wɪð ˈklæŋɡər/Soul, but foul and gaunt, but aunt;[30]
/soʊl bət faʊl ən ɡɔːnt bət ɑːnt/Font, front, wont;[31] want,[32] grand, and, grant,[33]
/fɒnt frʌnt woʊnt wɒnt ɡrænd ənd ɡrɑːnt/Shoes, goes, does.[34] *) Now first say: finger,
/ʃuːz ɡoʊz dʌz naʊ fɜːrst seɪ ˈfɪŋɡər/And then: singer, ginger, linger.
/ən ðɛn ˈsɪŋər ˈdʒɪndʒər ˈlɪŋɡər/Real, zeal; mauve,[35] gauze and gauge;
/ˈriːəl ziːl moʊv ɡɔːz ən ɡeɪdʒ/Marriage, foliage, mirage,[36] age.
/ˈmærɪdʒ ˈfoʊliɪdʒ ˈmɪrɑːʒ eɪdʒ/Query[37] does not rime with[3] very,
/ˈkwɪəri dəz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈvɛri/Nor does fury sound like bury.
/nɔːr dəz ˈfjʊəri saʊnd laɪk ˈbɛri/Dost, lost,[38] post and doth, cloth,[39] loth;
/dʌst lɒst poʊst ən dʌθ klɒθ loʊθ/Job, Job, blossom, bosom, oath.
/dʒɒb dʒoʊb ˈblɒsəm ˈbʊzəm oʊθ/Though the difference seems little,
/ðoʊ ðə ˈdɪfərəns siːmz ˈlɪtəl/We say actual, but victual,
/wiː seɪ ˈæktʃuəl bət ˈvɪtəl/Seat, sweat, chaste, caste;[40] Leigh, eight, height;
/siːt swɛt tʃeɪst kɑːst liː eɪt haɪt/Put, nut; granite, but unite.
/pʊt nʌt ˈɡrænɪt bət juːˈnaɪt/Reefer does not rime with[3] "deafer,"
/ˈriːfər dəz nɒt raɪm wɪð ˈdɛfər/Feoffer[41] does, and zephyr, heifer.
/ˈfɛfər dʌz ən ˈzɛfər ˈhɛfər/Dull, bull; Geoffrey, George; ate,[42] late;
/dʌl bʊl ˈdʒɛfri dʒɔːrdʒ ɛt leɪt/Hint, pint; senate, but sedate;
/hɪnt paɪnt ˈsɛnət bət sɪˈdeɪt/Scenic, Arabic, pacific;
/ˈsiːnɪk ˈærəbɪk pəˈsɪfɪk/Science, conscience, scientific;
/ˈsaɪəns ˈkɒnʃəns ˌsaɪənˈtɪfɪk/Tour, but our, and succour, four;
/tʊər bət aʊər ən ˈsʌkər fɔːr/Gas, alas[43] and Arkansas!
/ɡæs əˈlɑːs ən ˈɑːrkənsɔː/[10]Sea, idea, guinea, area,
/siː aɪˈdiːə ˈɡɪni ˈɛəriə/Psalm; Maria, but malaria;
/sɑːm məˈriːə bət məˈlɛəriə/Youth, south, southern; cleanse and clean;
/juːθ saʊθ ˈsʌðərn klɛnz ən kliːn/Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
/ˈdɒktrɪn ˈtɜːrpəntaɪn məˈriːn/Compare alien with[3] Italian,
/kəmˈpɛər ˈeɪliən wɪð ɪˈtæliən/Dandelion with[3] battalion,
/ˈdændɪlaɪən wɪð bəˈtæliən/Sally with[3] ally;[44] yea, ye,
/ˈsæli wɪð ˈælaɪ jeɪ jiː/Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, key, quay!
/aɪ aɪ aɪ aɪ hweɪ kiː kiː/Say aver, but ever, fever,
/seɪ əˈvɜːr bət ˈɛvər ˈfiːvər/Neither,[29] leisure,[45] skein, receiver.
/ˈnaɪðər ˈlɛʒər skeɪn rɪˈsiːvər/Never guess—it is not safe;
/ˈnɛvər ɡɛs ɪt ɪz nɒt seɪf/We say calves,[46] valves, half,[47] but Ralf!
/wiː seɪ kɑːvz vælvz hɑːf bət reɪf/Heron; granary,[48] canary;
/ˈhɛrən ˈɡrænəri kəˈnɛəri/Crevice, and device, and eyrie;[49]
/ˈkrɛvɪs ən dɪˈvaɪs ənd ˈɛəri/Face but preface, but efface,
/feɪs bət ˈprɛfəs bət ɪˈfeɪs/Phlegm, phlegmatic; ass, glass,[50] bass;
/flɛm flɛɡˈmætɪk æs ɡlɑːs beɪs/Large, but target, gin, give, verging;
/lɑːrdʒ bət ˈtɑːrɡɪt dʒɪn ɡɪv ˈvɜːrdʒɪŋ/Ought, out, joust and scour, but scourging;
/ɔːt aʊt dʒaʊst ən skaʊər bət ˈskɜːrdʒɪŋ/Ear, but earn; and wear and tear
/ɪər bət ɜːrn ən wɛər ən tɛər/Do not rime with[3] "here", but "ere".
/duː nɒt raɪm wɪð hɪər bət ɛər/Seven is right, but so is even;
/ˈsɛvən ɪz raɪt bət soʊ ɪz ˈiːvən/Hyphen, roughen, nephew,[51] Stephen;
/ˈhaɪfən ˈrʌfən ˈnɛvjuː ˈstiːvən/Monkey, donkey; clerk[52] and jerk;
/ˈmʌŋki ˈdɒŋki klɑːrk ən dʒɜːrk/Asp, grasp,[53] wasp; and cork and work.
/æsp ɡrɑːsp wɒsp ən kɔːrk ən wɜːrk/Pronunciation—think of psyche!—
/prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃən θɪŋk əv ˈsaɪki/Is a paling, stout and spikey;
/ɪz ə ˈpeɪlɪŋ staʊt ən ˈspaɪki/Won't it make you lose your wits,
/woʊnt ɪt meɪk juː luːz jʊər wɪts/Writing "groats" and saying groats?[54]
/ˈraɪtɪŋ ɡroʊts ən ˈseɪɪŋ ɡrɪts/It's a dark abyss or tunnel,
/ɪts ə dɑːrk əˈbɪs ɔːr ˈtʌnəl/Strewn with[3] stones, like rowlock, gunwale,
/struːn wɪð stoʊnz laɪk ˈrɒlək ˈɡʌnəl/Islington and Isle of Wight,
/ˈɪzlɪŋtən ən aɪl əv waɪt/Housewife, verdict and indict!
/ˈhʌzɪf ˈvɜːrdɪkt ən ɪnˈdaɪt/Don't you think so, reader, rather,[55]
/doʊnt juː θɪŋk soʊ ˈriːdər ˈrɑːðər/Saying lather,[56] bather, father?
/ˈseɪɪŋ ˈlɑːðər ˈbeɪðər ˈfɑːðər/Finally: which rimes with[3] "enough,"
/ˈfaɪnəli hwɪtʃ raɪmz wɪð ɪˈnʌf/Though, through, plough, cough,[57] hough, or tough?
/ðoʊ θruː plaʊ kɒf hɒk ɔːr tʌf/Hiccough has the sound of "cup"......
/ˈhɪkʌp həz ðə saʊnd əv kʌp/My advice is—give it up!
/maɪ ədˈvaɪs ɪz ɡɪv ɪt ʌp/*) No, you are wrong.[58] This is the plural of "doe".
/noʊ juː ɑːr rɒŋ ðɪs ɪz ðə ˈplʊərəl əv doʊ/
he | If you asked this user what third-person pronouns applied to him, he would say—well, now you know. |
![]() | This user identifies as queer. |
ain't | This user believes that prescriptive grammar rules stem from linguistic ignorance and are used to enforce economic class distinctions. |
That this is absurd does not prevent its happening.
— J. C. Wells, Accents of English (1982), p. 106