FÖNETIK ŸLFUBET FÖR ÏNGLISJ
Phonetic Alphabet for English
A proposed phonetic alphabet for English which provides
a one to one
correlation between pronunciation and spelling.
Using this alphabet, when you hear a word, you will know how to spell it, and
when you see a word, you will know how to pronounce it (except for stress). This
makes teaching and learning to read and write much easier than the present
orthography. Only familiar letters are used, with either an Umlaut (two dots) or
a Macron (a short line) over some vowels to make enough symbols for the twelve
different vowel sounds of English.
Macron vowels (with a short bar over the letter), Ā ā, etc.,
are preferred to the Umlaut vowels (with two dots over the letter), Ä ä, Ë ë, Ï
ï, Ö ö, Ü ü, Ÿ ÿ, but Umlaut vowels are used here because they are easier to find than Macron vowels,
especially for y, and Macron vowels will not display on all browsers. In
handwriting, the Macron is preferred to the Umlaut as quicker to write and
easier to read.
Note: The dotless lower case i (as used in Turkish) is preferred for this
alphabet, since it provides a better contrast with the Umlaut i. If your
browser will not display the dotless i (ı), click HERE to see this
webpage with dotted i's. In some fonts, a Greek iota can be used for a
dotless i.
Letter = traditional spelling (phonetic spelling)[name]
1. Ä ä = a in father (fäqur), o in mop (mäp) [ä]
2. A a = a in can (kan) [a]
3. B b = b in bib (bıb)
[bï]
4. D d = d in dead (ded) [dï]
5. Q q = th in thus (qus) [qu]
6. Ë ë = a in make (mëk) [ë]
7. E e = e in set (set) [e]
8. F f = f in fife (fäıf), ph in Phoenix
(Fïnıks)
[ef]
9. G g = g in gag (gag) [ag]
10. H h = h in ham (ham) [hë]
11. Ï ï = i in machine (musjïn), ee in meet (mït) [ï]
12. I ı
= i in sit (sıt)
[ı]
13. J j = y in yes (jes), i in union (jünjun), h in ship (sjıp)
[je]
14. K k = k in kite (käıt), c in cut (kut), ch in ache (ëk) [kë]
15. L l = l in lull (lul) [el]
16. M m = m in maim (mëm) [em]
17. N n = n in nine (näın)
[nï]
18. Ö ö = o in lone (lön) [ö]
19. O o = o in log (log), au in Pause (poz), aw in laws (loz) [o]
20. P p = p in pipe (päıp)
[pï]
21. R r = r in roar (ruör) [ar]
22. S s = s in sister (sıstur)
[es]
23. T t = t in tight (täıt)
[tï]
24. C c = th in think (cïnk), c in ciencia {Castilian} (cïıncïu)
[cï]
25. Ü ü = u in plume (plüm), oo in boot (büt) [ü]
26. U u = u in run (run), o in union (jünjun), a1 & a3 in banana
(bunanu), e in nerve (nurv) [u]
27. V v = v in verve (vurv) [vï]
28. W w = w in way (wë) [wë]
29. X x = ch in loch (läx), x in Quixote (Kïxötë),
X {Greek Chi}in Xριστος
{Christos} (Xrïstös),
X {Russian Khah} in Xрущёв
{Khrushchov} (Xrüsjtsjov) [äx]
30. Ÿ ÿ = ow in cow (kÿ), a in Albert (Ÿlburt), ou in couch (kÿtsj) [ÿ]
31. Y y = oo in book (byk), use for u in une {French} (yn), y in Physik
{German} (fyzïk) [y]
32. Z z = z in zebra (zïbru), s in is (ız)
[zï]
Combination sounds:
äı = i in like (läık), y in my
(mäı)
jü = u in fume (fjüm)
hw = wh in what (hwät)
kw = qu in queen (kwïn)
sj = sh in shirt (sjurt), ch in chic (sjïk)
tsj = ch in church (tsjurtsj)
zj = z in azure (uzjyr), s in treasure (trezjyr)
dzj = j in jail (dzjël), g in age (ëdzj)
ng = ng in sing (sïng)
ndzj = nge in singe (sındzj)
Some examples of words written in the Phonetic Alphabet:
(Sum ekzamplz äv wurds rıtın
ın qï
Fönetık
Ÿlfubet)
philosophy (fılosöfï), biology
(bäıälödzjï), Johnson (Dzjänsun)
caught (kot), thought (cot), cot (kät), cat (kat), kite (käıt), then
(qın),
thin (cın)
Dialect and regional accents will present problems with any phonetic
alphabet. The simple answer is to accept variant spellings and list them in the
dictionary. This is done now with Aluminum and Aluminium, tire and tyre, jail
and gaol, etc. Some examples of words with variable pronounciation: grass (gras,
gräs), amino (umïnö, umä
ınö), vitamin
(vä
ıt
ım
ın,
v
ıt
ım
ın), pecan (pïkän, pïkan),
research (rïsurtsj, r
ısurtsj), schedule (skedjül, sjedjül).
Choice of symbols Q q and C c for th sounds: The th in then could be
represented by Icelandic Eth, Ð ð, or by Greek Delta (pronounced thelta in
Greek), Δ
δ. The th in thin could be represented by Icelandic Thorn, Þ þ, or by
Greek Theta, Θ
θ. I chose Q and C because they are already present on English
keyboards. Lower case q can be looked at as an upside down d, to which its sound
(th in then) is related, and c does have this sound (th in thin) in Castilian
Spanish.
For a comparison of how the Fönetık Ÿlfubet compares with other suggested
reforms, please see the following Letter Matrix Table.
For an account of the development of this alphabet, see History.
See the Open Directory for many other sites on
English Spelling Reform.
For a history of English Spelling Reform and a survey of different proposals,
see John J. Reilly's
Spelling Reform Pages.
mikenassau@yahoo.com
Fabien van Mook
posted this in the Taal (language) section of his
Links page:
Fönetik Ylfubet för Ïnglisj
is een voorstel van Mike Nassau voor een fonetische spelling van het Engels. Ik vind het wel een elegante oplossing. Als je het Internationale Engels zou willen toe-eigenen aan de internationale gemeenschap (vergl. bijvoorbeeld met «Steenkolen-Engels; een pleidooi voor normvervaging» van Marc van Oostendorp (Amsterdam: Uitgeverij L.J. Veen, 2002)), dan zou een vereenvoudigde en fonetische spelling de internationale uitspraak kunnen vereenvoudigen en standaardiseren.
Dank U wel, mijn heer. Dat is zeer mooi.
