The Story of Phonetics

What does ðat say?

Do you know what a ‘sʌɪn’ is, or perhaps a ‘ˈteɪbl’? If you are having trouble deciphering these strange letters, do not worry. These words are the words ‘sign’ and ‘table’ respectively, written in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

What is the International Phonetic Alphabet?

The International Phonetic Alphabet is an alphabet that spells words based on how they sound. Many words in English are spelt differently from how they sound for a variety of reasons. The international Phonetic Alphabet helps standardise the pronunciation of words to help overcome this issue.

Our Phonetic Signs

If you look closely around our college, you may find many ‘sʌɪns’ scattered around. These signs are designed to help you improve your pronunciation of English words. Hopefully, you will become accustomed to seeing these signs and will learn how to pronounce them with ease.

How many of these signs have you found? 👀