PhoTransEdit » Desktop » Help » Text to IPA Phonetics dialog 

PhoTransEdit Desktop Text to IPA phonetics dialog

PhoTransEdit Desktop includes a dialog to get an automatic draft phonemic transcription of an English text:

 How does it work?

 Shortcuts

 Customization options

How does it work?

Step 1. Choose the type of pronunciation

Choose the type of pronunciation for the output broad transcription. Two options are available: British English (RP Received Pronunciation) and American English (GA General American)

Step 2. Type/paste the input English text

Type or paste the English text you want to transcribe.

Step 3. Click on Transcribe

Click on the Transcribe button (or press F5) to get the output transcription.

Step 4. Customize the output

Customize the output transcription through the available options.

Step 5. Add the output to a document

Click on 'Add to current' button to add the output transcription to the current active document or click on 'Create new' button if you want to add the output transcription to a new document.

Shortcuts

After you have typed or pasted the input English Text and customized the output transcription, you can use the following shortcuts:

F5

Transcribes the input texts, showing the output transcripion in the Output Transcription text box.

F6

Transcribes the input texts (showing the output transcripion in the Output Transcription text box) and adds the output transcription to the current active document.

F7

Transcribes the input texts (showing the output transcripion in the Output Transcription text box) and adds the output transcription to a new document.

Customization options

Keep spaces

When this option is selected, space characters are kept in the output transcription

Keep important punctuation

When this option is selected, the important punctuation (full stop or period, comma, colon, semicolon, question mark and exclamation point) in the input English text is kept in the output transcription. With this option selected, no word group boundary mark is shown in the output.

Remove carriage returns

When this option is selected, the carriage returns in the input text are not kept in the output transcription.

Use '/' instead of '|'

When this option is selected, the symbol '/' is used to mark word group boundaries or potential pauses.

Show intrusive /r/ (Only BrE)

When this option is selected, an intrusive /r/ is inserted after words finishing with /ɑː/, /ɔː/, /ɪə/, /eə/ or /ʊə/ if the following word starts with vowel sound. e.g. I saw a film /ˈaɪ ˈsɔːr ə fɪlm/

Show syllabic consonants

When this option is selected, syllables consisting phonetically only of a consonant (syllabic consonant) do not show a vowel sound (e.g. /ˈsʌdn̩/ or /ˈmɪdl̩/). The diacritic for this in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is the under-stroke (e.g. n̩ or l̩). When this option is not selected, a vowel sound ? is incluided in the syllable (e.g. /ˈsʌdən/ or /ˈmɪdəl/).

Show syllable boundaries

When this option is selected, syllable divisions are shown. The syllable division marker /./ is used. The division of a word into syllables (syllabification) in English is controversial as various principles can be applied to decide between alternatives: morphemic (syllable boundaries should correspond with morpheme boundaries), phonotactic (syllable division should accord with that we know about syllable onsets and codas from word-initial and word-final positions) or Allophonic (syllable division should predict correct allophonic variation). We know there are many syllable boundary mistakes in PhoTransEdit database and no consistency. When we update/check the transcription of a word, we use the Longman Pronunciation Dictionary syllabification principles, those which most helpfully predict the distribution of allophones. 

Show '|' before and after carriage returns

When this option is selected, the word group boundary symbol '|' is shown before and after carriage returns. This is useful for users who want to transcribe lists of words or sentences.

Remove stresses

When this option is selected, no stresses (primary or secondary) are showns.

Remove length marks

When this option is selected, length marks ː are not shown. The Kenyon and Knott system (often used by AmE authors in the IPA tradition) do not show length marks.

Use ᵊl, ᵊn, ᵊr instead of l̩, n̩, r̩

When this option is selected, syllabic consonants are shown with a raised schwa /ə/

Use i, ɔ, u for the short vowels ɪ, ɒ, ʊ

When this option is selected, the vowels i, ɔ, u are used for the short vowels ɪ, ɒ, ʊ. In some parts of the world a simpler transcription system used in early editions of Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (before 1977) persists. It used i, ɔ, u for the short vowels ɪ, ɒ, ʊ.

Use ei, ou, ai, au, ɔi, iə, ɛə, uə for the diphthonɡs eɪ, əʊ, aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ, ɪə, eə, ʊə

When this option is selected, the diphthonɡs ei, ou, ai, au, ɔi, iə, ɛə, uə are used for eɪ, əʊ, aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ, ɪə, eə, ʊə. In some parts of the world a simpler transcription system used in early editions of Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (before 1977) persists. It used i, ou, ai, au, ɔi, iə, ɛə, uə are used for the diphthonɡs eɪ, əʊ, aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ, ɪə, eə, ʊə.

Use əː for the lonɡ vowel ɜː

When this option is selected, the long vowel əː is used for ɜː. In some parts of the world a simpler transcription system used in early editions of Jones's English Pronouncing Dictionary (before 1977) persists. It used əː for the long vowel ɜː.

Use ɜːr instead of ɝː

When this option is selected, ɜːr is used for ɝː. The 15th edition of the Cambridge English Pronunciation Dictionary used this notation.

Use ɚ instead of r̩

When this option is selected, ɚ is used for r̩. The 15th edition of the Cambridge English Pronunciation Dictionary and Kenyon and Knott system (often used by AmE authors in the IPA tradition) use this notation.

Use ɛ instead of e

When this option is selected, e is used form the vowel ɛ. The Kenyon and Knott system (often used by AmE authors in the IPA tradition) uses this notation.

Use e, o instead of eɪ, oʊ

When this option is selected, the vowels e, o are used instead of diphthongal vowels eɪ, oʊ. The Kenyon and Knott system (often used by AmE authors in the IPA tradition) uses this notation.

Use š, ž, č, ǰ instead of ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ

When this option is selected, the symbols š, ž, č, ǰ are used for the IPA ʃ, ʒ, tʃ, dʒ. The Trager and Smith American English tradition uses this notation.

Use iy, ɔh for the lonɡ vowels iː, ɔː

When this option is selected, iy and ɔh are used for the lonɡ vowels iː and ɔː. The Trager and Smith American English tradition uses this notation.

Use ey, ow, ay, aw, oy for the diphthonɡs eɪ, oʊ, aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ

When this option is selected, ey, ow, ay, aw, oy for the diphthonɡs eɪ, oʊ, aɪ, aʊ, ɔɪ. The Trager and Smith American English tradition uses this notation.