13 Minutes to Learn the International Phonetic Alphabet!

Summary

The video explains how English is not a phonetic language, so the same letter combinations can have different pronunciations. The international phonetic alphabet solves this problem by assigning unique symbols to represent the 44 sounds in English. The instructor breaks down the consonants and vowels, focusing on the eight trickier consonants and five longer vowel sounds. A quiz tests the viewer's knowledge of the phonetic symbols. Learning the phonetic alphabet helps improve pronunciation by indicating exactly how a word should be sounded out. The symbols look daunting but are manageable to memorize if practiced.

Takeaways

• 😀 English is not phonetic, leading to pronunciation challenges with silent letters and varying letter combinations.
• 📚 Phonetics, represented by unique symbols in dictionaries, are essential for correct pronunciation.
• 🌭 There are 44 sounds in English: 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.
• 🔢 Sixteen consonant sounds are relatively easy to learn, leaving eight that might be new and challenging.
• 🔫 Examples of difficult consonant sounds include 'sh' as in 'show', 'zh' as in 'vision', and 'th' as in 'this' or 'three'.
• 🌟 Vowel sounds include both short and long vowels, as well as diphthongs, which are combinations of vowel sounds.
• 🐱 The schwa sound, represented by an upside-down e, is the most common sound in English.
• 💬 Eight diphthongs combine two vowel sounds to create a single sound, like 'oy' in 'boy' or 'ai' in 'fight'.
• 🔠 Learning the International Phonetic Alphabet can significantly improve pronunciation skills.
• 🔓 The video includes a quiz to test knowledge of phonetic symbols and pronunciation, encouraging active learning.

Q & A

What is the purpose of learning phonetics according to the video?

The purpose of learning phonetics, as outlined in the video, is to help individuals improve their pronunciation of English words by understanding the strange looking symbols found in dictionaries, which represent sounds not always intuitively connected to the letters used in spelling.

How many sounds are there in English, and how are they categorized?

There are 44 sounds in English, categorized into 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.

What are some examples of the 'easy' 16 consonant sounds mentioned?

Examples of the 'easy' 16 consonant sounds include B (as in 'best'), F (as in 'fine'), M (as in 'male'), and T (as in 'tile').

What does the 'sh' phonetic symbol represent, and can you give an example word?

The 'sh' phonetic symbol represents the 'sh' sound, as in the words 'push' and 'show'.

How is the 'j' sound phonetically represented, and what are some example words?

The 'j' sound is phonetically represented by a symbol that looks like two letters stuck together (ʤ), with example words including 'joke', 'June', 'college', and 'suggest'.

What is a diphthong, and how many are there in English?

A diphthong is a complex vowel sound that consists of two vowel sounds combined to make one sound, and there are eight diphthongs in English.

Can you name a vowel sound that is particularly important to learn and its most common representation?

The 'schwa' sound, represented phonetically as an upside-down or backwards 'e' (ə), is particularly important as it's the most common sound in the English language.

What phonetic symbol looks like a 'zero with a line through it', and what sound does it represent?

The phonetic symbol that looks like a 'zero with a line through it' (θ) represents the voiceless 'th' sound, as in 'three' and 'month'.

How does the video suggest practicing phonetic symbols can aid in English pronunciation?

The video suggests that practicing phonetic symbols can aid in English pronunciation by familiarizing learners with the sounds of English, especially those that do not have direct equivalents in their native language, thereby improving their ability to pronounce words correctly.

What is the significance of the two dots following a vowel symbol according to the video?

According to the video, two dots following a vowel symbol indicate that the vowel is long, meaning the sound should be elongated when pronounced.

Outlines

00:00

🗣 Introduction to Phonetics

The video begins with a humorous interaction to highlight common pronunciation challenges among English learners. It introduces the concept of phonetics, explaining that they are the strange symbols found in dictionaries which help with pronunciation. The video aims to demystify the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), making it accessible for learners. It outlines that English comprises 44 sounds, including 24 consonant and 20 vowel sounds, some of which may be familiar or easy to learn. The video promises to teach the pronunciation of more challenging sounds and concludes with the promise of a quiz to test the viewer's knowledge, alongside the offer of a handout for further review.

05:04

🔤 Deep Dive into Consonants and Vowels

This segment provides a detailed examination of English phonetics, focusing on consonant and vowel sounds. It starts with eight consonant sounds that might be new or confusing for learners, including examples and phonetic symbols. The video then moves on to discuss the 20 vowel sounds, distinguishing between single vowels and diphthongs. The explanation includes phonetic symbols for each sound, practical examples, and tips on pronunciation, such as the importance of voice vibration for certain sounds. The segment is educational, offering clear insights into the complexity of English pronunciation and how to navigate it using phonetic symbols.

10:07

🏆 Phonetics Mastery and Quiz

The final segment reinforces the viewer's understanding of all 44 sounds in English, culminating in a quiz to test their knowledge. It breaks down the phonetic composition of various words, demonstrating how to apply the learned phonetic symbols and sounds to actual English words. This practical application aims to boost the viewer's confidence in their pronunciation skills. The video encourages further learning through a handout linked in the description, invites viewers to engage with the content through likes, and promises more helpful content in future videos. The segment is designed to inspire learners to continue improving their English pronunciation with the help of phonetics.

Keywords

💡Phonetics

Phonetics refers to the study of the sounds of human speech. The video emphasizes its importance for language learners, particularly for mastering pronunciation in English, a language known for its non-phonetic nature and irregularities. Phonetics uses a set of symbols to represent each distinct sound, helping learners understand how to pronounce words correctly, as illustrated by the use of 'strange looking symbols' found in dictionaries.

💡International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a universally recognized system of phonetic notation designed to represent each sound of spoken language uniquely. The video promises to simplify the IPA for viewers, showing its practical application in learning English pronunciation. By breaking down the IPA, the speaker aids in understanding the pronunciation of words that might otherwise be difficult due to English's inconsistencies.

💡Consonant Sounds

Consonant sounds are one of the two main types of sounds in English, the video notes that there are 24 consonant sounds. It highlights that while many of these sounds are familiar and easy to learn, there are specific sounds represented by unique symbols in the IPA that learners may find challenging. Examples include 'sh' as in 'show', and 'ch' as in 'check', demonstrating the variety and complexity of consonant sounds in English.

💡Vowel Sounds

Vowel sounds are pivotal in English pronunciation, comprising 20 of the 44 sounds discussed in the video. The narrative explains that these sounds include both single vowels and diphthongs, emphasizing the diversity in vowel pronunciation through symbols that represent sounds in words like 'bed', 'bit', and 'cat'. This segment aims to demystify the pronunciation of vowels, which can be particularly tricky due to their varied representations in spelling.

💡Diphthongs

Diphthongs are complex vowel sounds formed by the combination of two separate vowel sounds within the same syllable. The video explains that English has eight diphthongs, such as 'ear' and 'oi', and illustrates how recognizing these sounds can enhance pronunciation skills. By understanding diphthongs, learners can accurately articulate words that might otherwise be pronounced incorrectly.

💡Silent Letters

Silent letters are letters in a word that are not pronounced but can often lead to confusion in pronunciation. The video mentions silent letters as part of the challenge of learning English pronunciation, highlighting the non-phonetic nature of English where not all letters contribute to a word's spoken sound. This concept underscores the necessity of learning phonetics to navigate the complexities of English spelling and pronunciation.

💡Pronunciation

Pronunciation refers to the way in which a word is spoken. The video centers on improving pronunciation through understanding phonetics and the IPA, illustrating how different combinations of letters can produce various sounds. By learning the correct pronunciation of sounds represented by IPA symbols, learners can significantly improve their spoken English.

💡Voiced and Voiceless Sounds

Voiced and voiceless sounds distinguish whether the vocal cords vibrate when a sound is produced. The video explains this distinction with examples like 'sh' (voiceless) and its voiced counterpart, demonstrating the subtleties in sound production that are crucial for accurate pronunciation. This concept is vital for understanding the physical aspects of pronunciation and the role of vocal cord vibration in producing different sounds.

💡Schwa Sound

The schwa sound, represented by an upside-down 'e' in the IPA, is described in the video as the most common sound in the English language. It is a neutral, unstressed vowel sound found in many words, such as 'about' and 'supply'. Learning to recognize and produce the schwa sound is essential for non-native speakers to master English pronunciation, as it occurs frequently in both stressed and unstressed syllables.

💡Phonetic Transcription

Phonetic transcription is the process of using symbols to represent sounds in a word. The video uses phonetic transcription to clarify how words should be pronounced, offering a visual guide to the correct articulation of sounds. This tool is instrumental for learners to bridge the gap between written and spoken language, facilitating a deeper understanding of pronunciation nuances.

Highlights

Introduction to the importance of learning phonetics for improving English pronunciation.

Explanation of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and its utility for English learners.

Overview of the 44 sounds in English, including 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds.

Identification of 16 consonant sounds that are easier for English learners to pronounce.

Introduction to 8 new consonant sounds with examples and phonetic symbols.

Detailed explanation of specific challenging consonant sounds like 'sh', 'zh', 'j', 'ch', and 'th'.

Introduction to vowel sounds and the concept of dipthongs.

Explanation of 12 vowel sounds with examples, focusing on easier ones first.

Discussion of the schwa sound, the most common sound in the English language.

Explanation of 8 diphthongs in English and how to pronounce them.

Quiz to test knowledge on phonetic symbols and pronunciation of various English words.

Practical tips on how to use the IPA for improving English pronunciation.

Encouragement to practice pronunciation using phonetic symbols.

Conclusion summarizing the importance of phonetics in mastering English pronunciation.

Call to action for further learning resources and practice materials.

Transcripts

hey Chris how do you say this

word that's soup so this one is s uh-huh

uh nope that's actually sour sour but

what about soup yeah I don't

know okay what about this one

F not quite it's four

four four four four four so this one's

right

um for

if you have problems pronouncing

words like my friend in the previous

video you need to learn

phonetics what are phonetics they are

those Strang looking symbols that you're

find in the dictionary when you're

looking for the meaning of a word just

underneath the word and as I'm sure you

know English is not phonetic so

sometimes there are words that have

silent letters sometimes the same

combination of letters have different

pronunciations I know it's pretty

annoying right but don't worry in this

video I'm going to make the

international ftic alphabet really easy

for you and at the end of this video

I've got a little test for you which I

am 100% sure you are going to pass and

if you want the handout for this lesson

just to review what you've learned check

the link in the description below anyway

let's get started shall

we so there are 44 sounds in English 24

are consonant sounds and the other 20

are vow sounds now this may sound like a

lot right but actually 16 of the

consonant sounds will be easy for you to

understand how to pronounce so basically

there will only be eight new consonant

sounds or the symbols of those sounds

that you will have to learn for example

some of the e easy 16 consonant sounds

include B like best or trouble F like

fine offer off ma like

male M some ha like he he h t like T

tile flat so if you see phonetic

transcription There are 16 consonant

sounds that you will be able to read

easily now let's have a look at learning

the extra eight consonant sounds that

are going to be new for you first up we

have this one is it a big S no I mean it

looks like a giant s right but it

actually represents the s h sound sh

like in the words push show Sho this

symbol does look a bit like the number

three and and it's said similar to the

previous symbol we looked at sh sh but

while you're making that sound the sh

sound try to vibrate your voice

sh okay that's the sound that this

symbol represents you will normally find

this sound in words that end s i o n for

example

conclusion

decision television as well as words

ending in s u a l for example usual

Visual and words ending in s u r e

exposure measure pleasure next up we

have this one so we have two symbols

together we have the symbol we looked at

before as well as du what sound does it

make J J so it's normally spelled with

you guessed it a j like joke or June but

you may also find this sound with words

that are spelled with a GE or a GI as in

the words College

suggest religion or general this next

one also looks like it has two letters

stuck together and compared to the sound

before this sound is voiceless so you

shouldn't feel any vibrations in your

throat or your vocal cords this sound is

CH for example

check teach

Church apart from the CH spelling you

will sometimes find it in words that

have a tu spelling such as culture

Century or virtue all right we're making

some real progress now the next one we

have looks a bit like a number again

it's like a backwards six and uh you

should feel the vibration in your vocal

cords which of course makes it a voiced

sound this symbol represents the sound

theth so word words like that this they

other you can also find it at the end of

words like with or smooth like a zero

with a line through it this sound is

very similar to the one we looked at

before this is th for example three

something month you may notice the

difference between the previous sound

and this one is that it's quite smooth

there's no vibration so it's voiceless

for this sound you you have to kind of

curl the tongue up against the back of

your mouth so

basically starts in the nose and comes

out of the throat bring y long words

with this sound in the middle are pretty

uncommon but here are a couple

finger stronger and finally from the

consonant sounds we have this one which

might look a bit confusing because it

looks like a j so you you might think it

represents a j sound

but actually it represents y like yellow

U yacht so those are the eight difficult

or confusing consonant sounds time for

the vowels there are 20 vowel sounds in

total eight of them are dip thongs or in

other words two vow sounds put together

to make one sound these dip thongs will

be easy if you know the symbols of the

other vowels so let's come back back to

the dip thongs later okay now if we take

away the eight dip thongs we're left

with 12 vow sounds let's start with the

easiest first and finish with the harder

ones the e in leg bed when is written

like this the i in bit sit fil is

represented with this symbol the a in

map CAT pack uses this symbol okay this

one is a little strange looking but but

you have something that looks like an a

from the alphabet so it can be fairly

easy to remember the uh in but up or bus

is written like this so try to remember

like an upside down U or V okay the r in

hot lot on is written phonetically with

this symbol which looks fairly similar

to an O getting slightly harder now with

the vowel sounds this vowel sound uh is

normally spelled with the letter U as in

the words put push or full but it can

also be spelled with the letter o or

double O as in woman or book this vow

sound is really important it's called

the schah sound and it sounds like uh it

looks like an upside down or backwards e

and it's the most common sound in the

English language so it's really useful

to know here are a few words that have

the schah sound

teacher

Freedom about Supply now to show you the

final five vow sounds in English I need

to introduce this symbol to you if you

see a vow with two dots after it it

means that the vowel is long basically

you have to elongate the sound when you

say it e me c b ooh

to you sh are Smart Start Cal or chore

or ER learn turn ear just make sure to

make the vow sound long when you see the

two dots and finally we have the dip

thongs as I mentioned before there are

eight dip thongs and remember they are

two vowel sounds combined to make one

sound so this one is the I and the schw

together and it makes the sound ear ear

it is often found in words that are

spelled with an e or an EA so in words

like ear real or nearly the next if song

we have is this one which is the sound e

as in bed and the I sound again as in

bit together they make the sound a like

able game or day as you can see this dip

thong is usually representing the letter

A next up we have uh and

the so it sounds

like and you can find this sound or this

dip thong in words like our during

security if we swap those two vowel

sounds around we get the next dip thong

which is o o as in go so so flow

following that we have a combination of

a and uh and it makes a sound Ow like

when you bang your elbow and you're like

ow that's the sound that's the dip thumb

you will usually find it in word spout

with an o or an o u so like allow down

or out just three more to go this one is

a mixture of O and I and it makes a

sound oi oi you you will find this dip

thong spelled in many different ways it

is often spelled with the letters o l or

o y as in words like enjoy boy or oil

other examples are

avoid join employee this one uses one of

the same vowel sounds as before I and a

as in cat which makes the sound I I

you'll find it in words like I I item Pi

fight and finally we have the last dip

thong see it wasn't that hard now was it

now this one is e as in bed and the

schwar sound uh so together a a in some

example words we have a CH R be there

and that's it you now know all 44 sounds

in English it's time to test that

knowledge with a little quiz are you

ready let's go tell me what this word

is house we have the H the ow and the S

how about this

one this is beat beat we have the B and

the T the t t and then we have the

elongated vowel sound e e what's the

this

word letter letter starts with the L and

then we have a short vowel sound e like

in bed T and finally schwar at the end

with the e r uh letter what's this

[Music]

one freedom freedom again we have some

consonant sounds which are easy to see

like f and r

then we have the vow the long vow sound

e and dum thew sound as The Vow tell me

what this word

is knowledge what's this next

word lawyer lawyer we have the L

consonant the or long vowel sound the J

sound looking symbol to represent Y and

we finished with the schw sound uh

lawyer let's try one more what's

this

thoroughly

thoroughly okay so that's everything for

this video I hope you now have a much

better understanding of the phonetic

symbols and it has inspired you to

improve your pronunciation remember if

you want to get the hand out check the

link below smash the like button and

I'll see you next time