Lax Vowels

KEYWORD		IPA Symbol	SAMPA keyboard symbol
KIT	pit women  ink myth busy		I
DRESS	pet send length red head said any many		e
TRAP	pat sand bad hang shall narrow palid Annie		{
STRUT	cut fun sun son rush love brother blood country see note on STRUT		V
LOT	hot cot gone bother what yacht In American English these are PALM words		Q
(CLOTH)	frog dog across soft cost sorry horrible  In British English these are LOT words; in American English they are THOUGHT words.	(use LOT or THOUGHT)
FOOT	put bush butcher book could would bull see note on FOOT		U
"SCHWA"	comma protect perhaps teacher tutor beggar		@
HappY or Tensed KIT	Happy, party, lady, react, Croatia, Australian		i

Tense Vowels (including diphthongs)

KEYWORD		IPA Symbol	SAMPA keyboard symbol
FLEECE	sea seed seen seat piece police		i:
PALM	calm father Java; card farmer heart		A:
BATH	path grass glass last dance can't after laugh In British English these are PALM words; in American English they are TRAP words. - See the pages on British and American vowels and Summary	(PALM or TRAP)
THOUGHT	law all walk caught bought; lore corn war warm In American English these are often PALM words (see LOT above).*		o:
GOOSE	tooth moon move who blue rude duke cute See note on FOOT		u:
NURSE	hurt turn stir jerk heard earl work word		3:

* More on LOT PALM and THOUGHT in American and British pronunction

Diphthongs

KEYWORD		IPA Symbol	SAMPA keyboard symbol
FACE	may made main they obey weight café bouquet See note on FACE		eI
PRICE	try tie tide sign sight height buy deny		aI
CHOICE	toy annoy oyster noise voice moist		oI
MOUTH	now loud gown shout		aU
GOAT	go stone rode road  boat		@U
NEAR	here beer ear fear  fierce weird See note on NEAR		I@
SQUARE	there bare bear air pair vary Mary area Sarah See note on SQUARE		e@
CURE	pure obscure sure tour See note on CURE		U@

CONSONANTS

	IPA Symbol	SAMPA keyboard symbol
pay play pray paper pepper hope top spy inspire		p
bay blaim break labour babe rob robbed		b
tie try write writer letter foot stare restore fast hoped crashed		t
day drain wide wider fading madder made cried rubbed lived		d
cave crave key ski escape climb make stock account quite acquire		k
gave grave glove get leg dog rogue lugger tiger		g
fish ferry force few photograph life safe belief laugh enough		f
vicious very vowel view river oven never live save believe wives television		v
thank thought therapy athletics Matthew both bath See note on THETA		T ( þ)
these that those they there their		D (ð)
see scene recieve stay spy sky spry bus face base use (noun) house chance hats hooks ropes Jack's		s
zero zink buzz phase wise razor teaser use (verb) days trees rooms cabs dogs John's houses		z
she shoe shout schwa fish wash Russia fashion nation ration official racial		S
decision leisure pleasure erasure usual		Z
cherry Chaplin much watch matches creature nature		tS
Jerry jump Jew German rage large major grudge bridge injure		dZ
heal hit Henry hat heart hot hawk hook hoot hue ahead behind		h
merry hammer Homer beam lamb		m
nice new manner manor finer lean sign		n
sing ring wrong song		N
lip pill please hollow milk		l
rain hurry carry pray scream		r
yes youth beyond _union _use Europe c_ure h_uman f_ew		j
wink way beware won _one _once		w
Two additional symbols:
network  (Glottal Stop)		?
loch (Scottish)		X

  SPECIAL SYMBOLS ON THE PLAIN KEYBOARD

sentence stress	'
unvoiced consonant	_l _r _w
dark l	l-

Notes

• STRUT  -  in the Midlands and North of England (not Scotland) all STRUT words are pronounced as FOOT words.
• FOOT   - In Scotland and Northern Ireland, FOOT and GOOSE words have the same vowel.
• FACE - In some parts of the British Isles and N. America, this is not a diphthong, but a long [e]-type vowel:
• NEAR  - In American English, this is a KIT (or FLEECE) vowel followed by r
• SQUARE - In American English, this is a DRESS (or FACE) vowel followed by r.
• CURE - In American English, this is a FOOT(or GOOSE) vowel followed by r.
  In British English, many CURE words (sure, poor) are pronounced as THOUGHT words.
  
  THETA is the name of the Greek letter used by phoneticians to symbolise the first consonant in think. Using an Icelandic keyboard, it makes sense to use THORN for this sound, and this is the symbol I use in English Pronunciation for Icelanders.

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