Writing Phonetic Alphabet by hand

[Nonverbis]

By I study English and find it very complicated to write phonetic symbols by hand. I understand that what I try to do is just an imitation of a font which was not designed to be reproduced by hand.

For example, the symbol /ɪ/ has small dashes at the tob and at the bottom.
Then I always reproduce /ɒ/ shamefully.

As for other symbols, I seem to have managed to get used to writing them. But anyway, my handwriting in phonetic alphabet is always clumsy and ugly.

But I really write a lot of transcriptions by hand. Maybe I just don't know anything about such handwriting, though it exists and widly used.

Could you tell me whether such handwriting exist or not? If not, how do you practice it? I mean do you experience the same inconveniences as me?

 

[5jj]

When I first studied phonetics in the 1960s, I wrote all the symbols by hand - there was no other way. I soon became reasonably proficient. As (comparatively) recently as 2008, when I did some further study at UCL, I was still transcribing manually.

I use this site for phonemic transcription and this site for phonetic transcription.

 

[Nonverbis]

I'm interested only in writing phonetic symbols by hand. The sites you provided will not be useful to me. But I find it rather a tedious and clumsy procedure. As if I'm bending the phonetic alphabet across my knee.

But phonetic symbols are not for printing only. I often write them in my textbooks. And teachers definitely have to write them when teaching.

But isn't there a system of handwriting the symbols?

 

[5jj]

But isn't there a system of handwriting the symbols?

I don't know what you mean by 'system'. I write phonetic symbols manually as I write the normal letters of the alphabet.

 

[Nonverbis]

I have tried to find videos on Youtube where a blogger shows how he writes. Or at least shows what he has written in phonetic symbols. But I failed.

Could you write on a sheet of paper how you write:

/ɪ/
/ɒ/
/æ/
/aɪ/
/pɒt/
/ɒpˈtɪʃn/
/ˈtaɪni/
/ˌpærəˈdɒksɪkli/

I mean, wil you be so kind as to write and scan or make a photo of them.

When writing, please, don't be too diligent, write as usual.

My troubles are situated most everywhere: letter spacing, different height of symbols, different baselines etc.

Ugly, as I said. Especially when writing a long word.

 

[5jj]

Could you write on a sheet of paper

Sorry. One result of a recent stroke is that my handwriting is indecipherable.

 

[Tdol]

Does this help at all?

https://www.reddit.com/r/linguistics/comments/o5i43r

 

[emsr2d2]

@Nonverbis I have edited your title and post #3 to correct the spelling of "alphabet". You wrote "alphabed" both times.

 

[Nonverbis]

Does this help at all?

It is not what I'd like to look at. Do you know what it is?
Neither do I. But I suppose that a student who has been shown a phonetical alphabet just copied it to their notebook.

First of all, they have seen the alphabet for the first time and toiled to copy it following their teacher or something. When they use it, not necessarily will they write like that.

Secondly, they are studying theoretical phonetics. They will not use this alphabet extensively. They just have to know it. So, this is not a practical knowledge. This is a theory.

Thirdly, it is not about English. For example, I can't find how do they write /a/ like in /aʊ/. Or /ɒ/.

Anyway, thank you. But this is not what I was looking for.

 

[emsr2d2]

By I am studying English and but I find it very complicated to write phonetic symbols by hand. I understand that what I try to do is just an imitation of a font which was not designed to be reproduced by hand.

For example, the symbol /ɪ/ has small dashes at the top and at the bottom. Then I always reproduce /ɒ/ shamefully badly.

As for other symbols, I seem to have managed to get used to writing them. But anyway, However, my handwriting in the phonetic alphabet is always clumsy and ugly.

But I really write a lot of transcriptions by hand. Maybe I just don't know anything about such handwriting, though it exists and is widely used.

Could you tell me whether such handwriting exists or not? If not, how do you practice it? I mean Do you experience the same inconveniences problems as me?

Please note my corrections above.

Think about it as you would about learning how to write any new alphabet. If I were to try to learn Russian, I imagine my handwritten Russian would be terrible! Learning any new alphabet is difficult. We all learn our native alphabet and handwriting it becomes second nature. We spend years writing those letters so our brain/hand co-ordination is wired to write using them. We don't have to think about it. We just write, but it takes a long time for it to come easily to us.

Is there some reason why you write transcriptions by hand? After all, as you said yourself, it's not a font designed to be reproduced by hand. Why can't you do your transcriptions on your computer?

 

[Nonverbis]

Writing by hand is inevitable in my practice. I constantly write transcriptions in my textbooks.
They are not electronics textbooks. And I'm not planning to switch to ebooks.

 

[emsr2d2]

What are you transcribing?

 

[5jj]

When they use it, they will not necessarily will they write like that.

They will, or they won't be understood.

can't find how do they write /a/ like in /aʊ

Write a backward C, starting at the top; then continue a little farther and come across to the right.

. Or /ɒ/.

Start at 10 o'clock and draw a letter O. When you complete it, come straight down.

 

[Nonverbis]

Could you tell me whether we should add horizontal strokes when writing /ɪ/ ?

 

[5jj]

Yes.

Your handwritten version should be as close the the printed version in appearance as possible.

 

[Tdol]

It is not what I'd like to look at. Do you know what it is?
Neither do I. But I suppose that a student who has been shown a phonetical alphabet just copied it to their notebook.

Look at the second and third pages, which illustrate how the person writes them. The red shows things like direction and where they start.

 

[Skrej]

If you think it's bad trying to handwrite them, imagine trying to reproduce them back when people just used manual typewriters. There was a whole system of using the carat symbol (^) and colons ( : ) along with other common manual typewriter symbols in various positions to represent different IPA phonemes.

There was also a cursive form of IPA symbols for transcribing faster. I can only imagine what a nightmare that must have been to try and decipher.

Here's another guide to handwriting IPA symbols.