Phonetic Symbols for Sounds in RP
In Received Pronunciation (RP), the standard accent of British English, phonetic symbols represent the specific sounds used in speech. Here’s an overview of the most common phonemes and their corresponding symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) for RP:
Consonants:
1. /p/ - as in pat
2. /b/ - as in bat
3. /t/ - as in top
4. /d/ - as in dog
5. /k/ - as in cat
6. /ɡ/ - as in Go
7. /f/ - as in fan
8. /v/ - as in van
9. /θ/ - as in think {थ sound} voiceless)
10. /ð/ - as in this {द sound} (voiced)
11. /s/ - as in sit
12. /z/ - as in zoo
13. /ʃ/ - as in she (voiceless)
14. /ʒ/ - as in measure { ज़ sound} (voiced)
15. /h/ - as in hat
16. /tʃ/ - as in church
17. /dʒ/ - as in Judge
18. /m/ - as in man
19. /n/ - as in no
20. /ŋ/ - as in SONG
21. /l/ - as in let
22. /r/ - as in red (in RP, this is a "flap" r, pronounced more subtly than in many other accents)
23. /j/ - as in Yes
24. /w/ - as in wet
Vowels:
1. /iː/ - as in see
2. /ɪ/ - as in sit
3. /e/ - as in bed
4. /æ/ - as in cat
5. /ɑː/ - as in father (long "ah" sound)
6. /ɒ/ - as in dog (in RP, this is pronounced as a rounded open back vowel)
7. /ɔː/ - as in law
8. /ə/ - as in sofa (relaxed "ah" sound)
9. /ʌ/ - as in cup
10. /ʊ/ - as in book
11. /uː/ - as in goose
12. /ɜː/ - as in bird, word { "अर" sound }
13. /ɔɪ/ - as in boy (diphthong)
14. /aɪ/ - as in my (diphthong)
15. /aʊ/ - as in how (diphthong)
16. /eɪ/ - as in day (diphthong)
17. /əʊ/ - as in go (diphthong)
18. /ɪə/ - as in here (diphthong)
19. /eə/ - as in there (diphthong)
20. /ʊə/ - as in tour (diphthong)
These IPA symbols represent the sounds of RP English and are used by linguists and phoneticians to transcribe speech accurately. Keep in mind that these symbols can also be used in other accents of English, but RP provides a standard, widely recognized pronunciation system in British English.