Re: phonetic markup

Perhaps IPA characters could be used to specify each phoneme, and extra
parameters could be included in the markup, for instance as attributes of
XML elements that would surround the relevant phonetic data. It is
important to take advantage of whatever form of phonetic transcription
will be most widely recognised and understood. IPA is an international
standard and is probably better known than any other phonetic script.

Of course, if necessary, we could define two or three different
representations of the phonetic data, IPA plus one or two alternatives;
but writing a separate script for each language would probably be too
labour intensive. In any case, a common function of phonetic markup will
probably be to define the pronunciation of words or expressions that
originate in a language other than that of the document itself.

I am thinking here primarily of the phonetic dictionary format rather than
of any style language proposal of the type to which Dave Raggett has
alluded.

Incidentally, this discussion is moving well beyond the parameters of the
HTML 4 and CSS 2 review. I hope that the PF mailing list can be set up
soon in order to provide a more appropriate forum in which to continue the
threads relating to phonetic markup and XML/XSL.

Received on Thursday, 20 November 1997 23:29:07 UTC