"English IPA" redirects here. For the drink, see India pale ale § United Kingdom.
For assistance with IPA transcriptions of English for Wikipedia articles, see Help:IPA/English.
History and description of
English pronunciation
Historical stages
Old English
Middle English
General development
In Old English
In Scots
Development of vowels
A
Close back
Close front
Diphthongs
Great Vowel Shift
Open back
Pre-L
Pre-R
Development of consonants
Single consonants
Clusters
Variable features
Cot–caught merger
Drawl
Flapping
H-dropping
L-vocalization
NG
R
Rhoticity
T-glottalization
TH
WH
Related topics
History of English
Spelling
v
t
e
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
English phonology is the system of speech sounds used in spoken English. Like many other languages, English has wide variation in pronunciation, both historically and from dialect to dialect. In general, however, the regional dialects of English share a largely similar (but not identical) phonological system. Among other things, most dialects have vowel reduction in unstressed syllables and a complex set of phonological features that distinguish fortis and lenis consonants (stops, affricates, and fricatives).
Phonological analysis of English often concentrates on or uses, as a reference point, one or more of the prestige or standard accents, such as Received Pronunciation for England, General American for the United States, and General Australian for Australia. Nevertheless, many other dialects of English are spoken, which have developed independently from these standardized accents, particularly regional dialects. Information about these standardized accents functions only as a limited guide to all of English phonology, which one can later expand upon once one becomes more familiar with some of the many other dialects of English that are spoken.
transcription delimiters. Englishphonology is the system of speech sounds used in spoken English. Like many other languages, English has wide variation in...
Appalachian English and the Great Migration bringing African-American Vernacular English to the Great Lakes urban centers. Any phonologically unmarked North...
development of the phonology of English over time, starting from its roots in proto-Germanic to diverse changes in different dialects of modern English. In the following...
media help. Australian English (AuE) is a non-rhotic variety of English spoken by most native-born Australians. Phonologically, it is one of the most...
§ Brackets and transcription delimiters. Old Englishphonology is necessarily somewhat speculative since Old English is preserved only as a written language...
human languages. The word "phonology" (as in "phonology of English") can refer either to the field of study or to the phonological system of a given language...
and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. Middle Englishphonology is necessarily somewhat speculative, since it is preserved only as...
Proto-Germanic (see Phonological history of Old English § Palatalization). The earliest varieties of an English language, collectively known as Old English or "Anglo-Saxon"...
North American English regional phonology is the study of variations in the pronunciation of spoken North American English (English of the United States...
delimiters. This article describes those aspects of the phonological history of the English language which concern consonants. Reduction of /hw/ – to...
The Sound Pattern of English (frequently referred to as SPE) is a 1968 work on phonology (a branch of linguistics) by Noam Chomsky and Morris Halle. In...
the Standard English of England after the 17th century. The resulting shifts to English usage by Scots-speakers resulted in many phonological compromises...
playing this file? See media help. This article covers the phonological system of New Zealand English. While New Zealanders speak differently depending on their...
English Phonetics and Phonology may refer to: EnglishphonologyEnglish Phonetics and Phonology: An Introduction, book by Philip Carr English Phonetics...
English, vol. 1: Phonology, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 113–133, ISBN 3-11-017532-0 Bowerman, Sean (2004), "White South African English: phonology", in Schneider...
Accent reduction African-American English American English California English Chicano EnglishEnglishphonologyEnglish-language spelling reform Hawaiian...
Paul (2019). Practical English Phonetics and Phonology (4th ed.). Routledge. p. 73. Roach, Peter (1973). "Glottalisation of English /p,t,k,tʃ/: a re-examination"...
the development of the Middle English diphthongs, see Middle Englishphonology (diphthong equivalents). Early Middle English had two separate diphthongs...
⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. The phonological system of the Old English language underwent many changes during the period of its...
EnglishPhonology and Phonological Theory: Synchronic and Diachronic Studies is a 1976 book by Roger Lass. The book was reviewed by Richard M. Hogg and...
and transcription delimiters. The phonological history of the English language includes various changes in the phonology of consonant clusters. The H-cluster...
Singapore English WaE, Welsh English See Pronunciation respelling for English for phonetic transcriptions used in different dictionaries. Englishphonology List...
varieties of English, vol. 1: Phonology, Mouton de Gruyter, pp. 614–624, ISBN 978-3-11-017532-5 Watson, Kevin (2007), "Liverpool English" (PDF), Journal...
see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters. In the history of Englishphonology, there have been many diachronic sound changes affecting vowels, especially...
digraphs towards the end of the Middle English period, using the notation given in the article on Middle Englishphonology. As explained above, single vowel...
Global Information