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Doubt about english fonetic transcription in dictionaries.
Hello! I'm looking for a dictionary that contains a precise phonetic transcription. I've checked several and some transcriptions of the same words are different. Why? 🤔 Which do you recommend me? Thanks in advance😊
Jul 23, 2019 2:02 PM
Answers · 6
2
You might be interested in this website:
https://tophonetics.com/
It allows you to quickly transcribe entire paragraphs into the IPA, using either British or American English, and with optional weak forms in connected speech.
For a paper resource, I like the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary:
http://www.pearsonlongman.com/dictionaries/LPD/
it's a bit UK-centric, but it does a fairly good job of showing different regional pronunciations, and often has preference polls for alternate pronunciations.
It comes with a computer program that gives you screens that look like this:
https://dl.pearson.co.jp/resources/9781405881180/search/Longman-Pronunciation-Dictionary/LPD04.jpg
July 23, 2019
1
Dictionaries use broad phonetic transcription because the dictionaries are intended for the general public.
The Oxford Learner's Dictionaries are excellent and give both British and English pronunciations. The recordings are by native speakers.
fast
https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fast_1?q=fast
fast adjective
BrE /fɑːst/ ; NAmE /fæst/
July 23, 2019
use the dictionaries published before 1950
around that date CIA figured out
foreigners were speaking too good English
and created several phonetic systems
to confuse learners
July 23, 2019
Please give examples. It is likely that the dictionaries are either noting British/American differences or that they are using "modified" IPA for better understanding by non-linguists.
July 23, 2019
What do you mean "precise phonetic transcription"? Most dictionaries provide the pronunciation using the international phonetic alphabet.
July 23, 2019
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Vincenzo
Language Skills
English, German, Italian, Neapolitan (Napoletano), Portuguese, Spanish
Learning Language
English
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