Don’t think I’m making some argument to get IPA built into LingQ; I don’t use transliteration here.
I can use IPA for Mandarin, Polish, English, Taa, Dutch, Tok Pisin, Russian, French, Tamil, Japanese, Indonesian…well, I could keep listing languages…there are another few thousand of them.
Those characters are meaningless, that’s the whole point. tɕʰ has as much meaning as q - none. It’s the sound which we ascribe to that. The big difference being that tɕʰ of IPA isn’t restricted. It is used for every example of that sound, in every language. ‘q’ is not. Sure, q could have the letter for that sound in IPA, but the point is moot ultimately.
I can use Pinyin for…Mandarin. I guess it could be applied to other Chinese languages, but do they do that? Or do they use IPA?
IPA is a superior transcription system and should be more commonly used, as it far surpasses any alternative in quality. It’s not about being ‘fanboys’ of IPA, but it’s simply a good system. I also use the metric system, and have no desire to use any other.
You like IPA, I don’t. You think it is superior, I don’t. Different points of view. No big deal.
IPA is not widely used for Chinese, Pinyin is. Therefore I suggest we do not use IPA where other transliteration systems are more widely used. For languages that use the Latin alphabet, add IPA, no problem.
Just an FYI, there’s actually no limit on the amount of script conversions that can be added to a lesson.
I don’t think it’s much work to add IPA to the list, so those who are interested can use it to their heart’s content.
I don’t actually understand IPA very well myself…but I watched this YouTube video the other day where a polyglot called glossika was reviewing LingQ: - YouTube
He was puzzled by a Russian lesson that had е instead of ё, wondering how a student would understand how to pronounce this word. I wondered if putting that word in IPA in the notes would solve his problem. He is clearly comfortable with using IPA as a tool to help him describe the pronunciation of the languages he has learned, to other language enthusiasts who may not have any knowledge of those particular languages.
In further thinking about this issue, I have decided that it is best not to add IPA versions of full lessons. IPA is best used for individual words, and not for full texts. Those people who want to use IPA will have to use dictionaries which offer IPA.
IPA is just as good for sentences and whole texts as it is for words. It’s actually really great seeing how words affect each other. However, I don’t think it has any need to be here on LingQ. If people want texts of IPA then they could make them themselves. Having texts in IPA is rather useful if you’re learning phonetics in a practical way and want to really train the ear to the sounds. Otherwise, it’s just an academic exercise. Neither of those activities have any place here.
Don’t think I’m trying to convert you to some IPA-religion or anything Steve! I’m just clearing up some misconceptions. Just as if you saw someone talking about LingQ in an manner you felt was incorrect, you’d feel justified saying something.
I do not always agree with you but I have to say that I admire your enthusiasm and energy. However, we are not going to add IPA as a different script for lessons.
As a lesson provider I might conceivably want to add a note saying “in my dialect I pronounce this word like this, in standard UK English it’s this, in standard US English it’s this!” Most English learners probably wouldn’t understand the IPA notation, but at least they could then look it up or ask on the forum about it if they wanted to.
By the way, Alex, your “rough sketch” is magnificent! It looks like Jing could be just what I need to share pictures and doodles with people in real-time during Skype conversations…
Jing is great for sharing images
Since I don’t have Microsoft Paint, I had to hand draw it, then I just took a picture of it and emailed it to myself. Recent technology has made this relatively pain-free.
But if you have Microsoft Paint, there’s no need to go through the extra step – just capture a section of the screen and share the URL.
I’m just clearing up some misconceptions. Just as if you saw someone talking about LingQ in an manner you felt was incorrect, you’d feel justified saying something.
