2. International Phonetic Alphabet
国際音声記号
What is it?
It’s a way of writing down what we REALLY hear when we are listening to a language...any language.
How is that different from spelling?
1) Some words aren’t spelled the same way they sound at all... think about KNIFE, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY,
ISLAND, etc...
2) Also, spelling often can’t show dialect(方言) differences.
3) It gives you a way even to write down languages that you don’t know at all. (like Swedish or something)
Why is it good for listening practice?
It’s good because you (and I) can see clearly what you are really hearing.
It helps you do a better job of guessing words.
It helps you see which sounds you get confused about when you listen.
It gives you a way to write down differences in, for example, British and American English.
Tuesday, May 27, 14
3. I’m going to go.
a͡ɪm goɪŋ tu go͡u
a͡ɪm gʌnə go͡u
ɑm gʌnə go͡u
ɑmnə go͡u
These are 4 ways
of saying the same
sentence, depending
on the speaker’s
しゃべり方.
Tuesday, May 27, 14
4. The snow glows white on the mountain tonight
Not a footprint to be seen
These are the
first two lines of
“Let it Go” written
in the way that Idina
Menzel sings it.
ðə sno͡u glo͡uz wɑ͡ɪt ɔn ðə mɑ͡uʔən tunɑɪt
nɑɾə fʊtprɪn tu bi sin
University of Iowa Phonetics: Sounds of American English
Tuesday, May 27, 14
