The International Phonetic Association ( IPA ; French : Association phonétique internationale, API ) is an organization that promotes the scientific study of phonetics and the various practical applications of that science. The IPA's major contribution to phonetics is the International Phonetic Alphabet —a notational standard for the phonetic representation of all languages. The acronym IPA refers to both the association and the alphabet. On 30 June 2015, it was incorporated as a British private company limited by guarantee .
7-799: The IPA also oversees the Journal of the International Phonetic Association , published by Cambridge University Press , whose articles include descriptions of languages as well as other topics in phonetics. In addition, it arranges for the quadrennial International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS) through its affiliate, the Permanent Council for the Organization of ICPhS. In 1886, a small group of language teachers in Paris formed an association to encourage
14-720: The International Phonetic Association (IPA). The IPA's early peak of membership and influence in education circles was around 1914, when there were 1751 members in 40 countries. World War I and its aftermath severely disrupted the Association's activities, and the Journal did not resume regular publication until 1922. The group's initial aim was to create a set of phonetic symbols to which different articulations could apply, such that each language would have an alphabet particularly suited to describe
21-509: The Alphabet, with additions and deletions that the progress of the science of phonetics has indicated. The IPA also has given examinations in phonetics since 1908, awarding Certificates of Proficiency in the phonetics of English, French, or German. Symbols to the right in a cell are voiced , to the left are voiceless . Shaded areas denote articulations judged impossible. Legend: unrounded • rounded Journal of
28-512: The International Phonetic Association The Journal of the International Phonetic Association ( JIPA ; / ˈ dʒ aɪ p ə / ) is a peer-reviewed academic journal that appears three times a year. It is published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International Phonetic Association . It was established as Dhi Fonètik Tîtcer ("The Phonetic Teacher") in 1886. In 1889, it
35-566: The sounds of the language. Eventually it was decided that a universal alphabet, with the same symbol being used for the same sound in different languages was the ideal. The first prototype of the International Phonetic Alphabet appeared in Phonetic Teachers' Association (1888) , and its development progressed rapidly up to the turn of the 20th century. Since then, there have been several sets of changes to
42-598: The use of phonetic notation in schools to help children acquire realistic pronunciations of foreign languages and also to aid in teaching reading to young children. The group, led by Paul Passy , called itself initially Dhi Fonètik Tîtcerz' Asóciécon (the FTA ). In January 1889, the name of the Association was changed to L'Association Phonétique des Professeurs de Langues Vivantes ( AP ), and, in 1897, to L'Association Phonétique Internationale ( API )—in English,
49-506: Was renamed Le Maître Phonétique and French was designated as the Association's official language. It was written entirely in the IPA , with its name being written accordingly as " lə mɛːtrə fɔnetik " and hence abbreviated "mf", until it obtained its current name and English became the official language again in 1971. It covers topics in phonetics and applied phonetics such as speech therapy and voice recognition , as well as "Illustrations of
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