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.[1]

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 ⟨⟩ 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

== Cursive Forms Of The International Phonetic Alphabet Media ==


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.

  1. International Phonetic Association (1999). Handbook of the International Phonetic Association: A Guide to the Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Cambridge University Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-52163751-0.