Due to the specifics of HTML encoding, this website will use a modified phonetic alphabet similar to (but slightly different from) that used by Fromkin, Rodman, and Hyams. Included here is a brief account of the phonetic symbols used throughout my site with examples of pronunciations (in isolation and in simple words). In general, note that on this site I will use a rather "broad" transcription system in which neither the aspiration of voiceless stops nor the nasalization of vowels will be marked.

At the least, however, I hope the sound files here will help clarify exactly what sounds correspond to what symbols.

Consonants

Bilabial consonants

[b]-----‘bee’
[p]-----‘pea’
[m]-----‘me’

Labiodental consonants

[f]-----‘feel’
[v]-----‘veal’

Interdental consonants

[]-----‘thigh’
[]-----‘thy’ (the symbol here is a "crossed d" )

Alveolar consonants

[t]-----‘two’
[d]-----‘due’
[s]-----‘sue’
[z]-----‘zoo’
[n]-----‘new’

Palatal consonants

[∫]-----‘sheep’
[3]-----‘rouge’
[t∫]-----‘cheap’
[d3]-----‘ridge’
[j]------‘you’

Velar consonants

[k]-----‘coo’
[g]-----‘goo’
[]-----‘wrong’

Additional consonants

[l]-----‘low’
[r]-----‘row’
[w]-----‘woe’
[h]-----‘hoe’

Vowels

"Pure" Vowels. Some of the vowels appearing here are generally pronounced as diphthongs by American speakers, but in the spirit of broad transcription, we can consider them as pure vowels.

[i]-----‘beet’
[I]-----‘bit’
[e]-----‘bait’
[]-----‘bet’
[æ]-----‘bat’

[u]-----‘boot’
[U]-----‘book’
[o]-----‘boat’
[]-----‘bought’
[a]-----‘Bob’

[]-----‘but’

Diphthongs

[oj]-----‘boy’
[aj]-----‘bite’
[aw]-----‘bout’

Unstressed Schwa

[]-----‘about’

Vowels with 'r' (in my pronunciation)

[ar]-----'far'
[r]-----'fur'
[r]-----'for'
[Ir]-----'fear'
[r]-----'fair'

Other Pronunciations

[ær]-----'marry'
[r]-----'merry'
[er]-----'Mary'

Examples of transcription with this system:

'since'-----[sIns]
'sins'-----[sInz]
'scenes'-----[sinz]
'sings'-----[sIz]
'sinners'-----[sInrz]
'sense'-----[sns]
'complications'-----[kamplIke∫nz]