Cursive forms of the International Phonetic Alphabet

In the early days of the International Phonetic Alphabet, they had special handwriting forms of the letters meant for writing by hand or taking notes in the field. The 1999 Handbook of the International Phonetic Association mentioned that back when people had to write down speech by hand quickly, these cursive forms might have been more helpful because they allowed for faster writing. But for most people, these cursive forms are difficult to read. It's better to use handwritten versions that look more like the printed symbols.

This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without the correct software, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.

Development

The cursive forms of the IPA presented in the 1912 edition of The principles of the International Phonetic Association. Two of these letters are obsolete: ⟨ǥ⟩ is now ⟨ɣ⟩, and ⟨ꜰ⟩ is now ⟨ɸ⟩.

The cursive forms of the IPA presented in the 1949 edition.

Example

The following passage is from the 1912 edition of the International Phonetic Assocation handbook:

The North Wind and the Sun spoken in 'Northern English'

IPA

Orthography

ðə nɔrθ wind ænd ðə sʌn wər dispjuːtiŋ hwitʃ wɔz ðə strɔŋɡər hwɛn ə trævələr keːm əlɔŋ ræpt in ə wɔrm kloːk. ðeː əɡriːd ðət ðə wʌn huː fərst meːd ðə trævələr teːk ɔf hiz kloːk ʃud bi konsidərd strɔŋɡər ðæn ði ʌðər. ðɛn ðə nɔrθ wind bluː wið ɔːl hiz mait, bʌt ðə mɔr hiː bluː ðə mɔr kloːsli did ðə trævələr foːld hiz kloːk əraund him; ænd æt lɑst ðə nɔrθ wind ɡeːv ʌp ði ətɛmpt. ðɛn ðə sʌn ʃɔn aut wɔrmli, ænd imiːdjətli ðə trævələr tuk ɔf hiz kloːk; ænd soː ðə nɔrθ wind wɔz oblaidʒd tu konfɛs ðæt ðə sʌn wɔz ðə strɔŋɡər ɔv ðə tuː.

The North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was the stronger when a traveller came along wrapped in a warm cloak. They agreed that the one who first made the traveller take off his cloak should be considered stronger than the other. Then the North Wind blew with all his might, but the more he blew the more closely did the traveller fold his cloak around him; and at last the North Wind gave up the attempt. Then the Sun shone out warmly, and immediately the traveller took off his cloak; and so the North Wind was obliged to confess that the Sun was the stronger of the two.

Cursive Forms Of The International Phonetic Alphabet Media

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  The North Wind and the Sun spoken in 'Northern English'