Download File - JOHN J. HADDAD, Ph.D.

Pronunciation GuideSome expressions in the dictionary are followed by a phonetictranscription in International Phonetic Alphabet(IPA) symbols. These expressions include words whosepronunciations are not predictable from their spellings,difficult or unfamiliar words, and words where the stressplacement is contrastive or unique. The style of pronunciationreflected here is informal and tends to fit the registerin which the expression would normally be used. A[d] is used for the alveolar flap typical in American pronunciationssuch as [wad#] “water” and [@”naI@led@d]“annihilated.” The transcriptions distinguish between [a]and [O] and between [w] and [W] even though not allAmericans do so. In strict IPA fashion, [j] rather than the[y] substitute is used for the initial sound in “yellow.” Themost prominent syllable in a multisyllabic word ispreceded by a [”]. The use of “and” or “or” in a phonetictranscription echoes the use of “and” or “or” in the precedingentry phrase. The use of “...” in a transcriptionindicates that easy-to-pronounce words have been omitted.Parentheses used in a transcription either correspondto parentheses in the preceding entry phrase or indicateoptional elements in the transcription. For instance, in[“artsi “krAf(t)si] “artsy-craftsy,” the “t” may or may notbe pronounced. The following chart shows the AmericanEnglish values for each of the IPA symbols used in thephonetic transcriptions. To use the chart, first find thelarge phonetic symbol whose value you want to deterxiiCopyright © 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.Click here for terms of use.