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THE LINGUISTICS STUDENT’S HANDBOOK 132
meanings within their respelling systems). Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate dictionaries
still use such a system, the Oxford dictionaries changed to using IPA
symbols fairly recently, as did Chambers 21st Century Dictionary. Similar problems
faced those who were creating writing systems for languages which had
previously not been written. The symbols used by the IPA were seen as technical
and difficult, and it was nearly always preferred to develop an orthography
based entirely on the Roman alphabet: this can be seen in the writing
systems for most Australian languages, for example.
So not only has there been a range of possible phonetic alphabets since phonetic
alphabets were first used, there has been pressure not to use phonetic
alphabets for many purposes – and these purposes include the writing of grammars.
The result is that in order to understand a particular phonetic/phonological
description, the reader has to know whether it is written using a
phonetic alphabet or not (and if so, which one) in order to translate the system
used into something with which they are familiar. Where respelling systems are
used, we need to know what language the respelling is treating as fundamental:
is to be understood as in Spanish, as in French or as in German, for
example? Is to be understood as in Spanish or as in German? Is to be
understood as in German, as in French or as in English? It is important that we
do not make assumptions about the phonetic or phonological system used by
the writer of the description we are reading.
The function of this section is to give you some clues for things to look
for.
Changes in the IPA
The IPA itself has made modifications to its alphabet over time.
Sometimes, this has just been the addition of symbols; sometimes symbols
have been removed from the approved set of symbols; occasionally, symbols
have been reassigned (which may also be the effect of adding or deleting
symbols).
One change, however, is a difference of terminology. The place of articulation
which is now called ‘post-alveolar’ used to be termed ‘palato-alveolar’.
The label remains (surprisingly) in the current IPA chart for a place of articulation
for clicks. This label also explains the label alveolo-palatal. Something
which is palato-alveolar is basically alveolar, but heading in the direction of the
palate; something with is alveolo-palatal is basically palatal, but heading in the
direction of the alveolar ridge. Thus palato-alveolar sounds are produced
slightly further forward in the mouth than alveolo-palatal ones. (For the fricatives
[ʃ] and [�] there is also a difference in tongue profile, [ʃ] being a grooved
fricative, unlike [�]. This is similar to the distinction between [s] and [θ], and
is not directly shown on the IPA chart.)