IPA keyboard layout for UK keyboards

IMPORTANT Before continuing, please make sure that you do indeed have a UK (British, rather than a US or other) keyboard. If your keyboard is not a UK one you should delete the .zip file and any expanded files and download the correct version for your keyboard.

This keyboard approach is mainly intended for direct minor editing of IPA in HTML source code. If you are starting to type a webpage containing substantial amounts of IPA we recommend you use the AutoCorrect method in Word instead.

CONTENTS

  1. Installation
  2. Using the keyboard
  3. Examples
  4. Uninstalling UK IPA layout
  5. Feedback
  6. Disclaimer

  1. Installation
    1. Copy the new keyboard file:

      kbd_ipa_utf8.kbd

      to your Windows/System folder.

    2. Double-click on the Registry update file:

      inst_ipa_utf8.reg

      in Windows Explorer. This will ensure that the system recognizes the new keyboard (as a "Latvian" layout).

    3. Close all running programs.
    4. Reboot your machine (Start|Shut Down|Restart).
    5. Start|Settings|Control Panel|Keyboard|Language|Add|Faeroe Islands, then click OK.

        (We suggest using this language because it has the convenient taskbar indicator Fo[netik]. If you are happy to use the indicator Lv, choose Latvian instead and omit step No 6.

        If you are going to be using this keyboard frequently it would be worth creating a shortcut to the language dialog box: see Windows Help for instructions.)

    6. Click the Properties button, then scroll down until the IPA UTF-8 keyboard layout is selected. Click OK.
    7. Select a suitable method of Switching Languages (the simplest is Left Alt-Shift), and check the "Enable Indicator on Taskbar" option.
    8. Click OK. You are now ready to type with the new keyboard layout.

  2. Using the keyboard


    To type in IPA (eg in NotePad), ensure that you can see the Fo indicator in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Note that the first tag of your file should be:

    <html lang=en>

    (If you omit this the length mark (ː) will not display in some browsers!) You must also indicate that you are using UTF-8 Unicode encoding with this statement in the <HEAD> section of the HTML file:

    <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">

    (The attached practice file test_utf8.htm has been set up correctly.)

    You can switch back to the normal English keyboard at any time by pressing Left Alt-Shift (you will then see the En [English] indicator).

    Refer to the UCL SAMPA document for the correct code for each IPA symbol: most of them are encoded with intuitive uppercase letters (eg V for ʌ). You may find it useful to print out the SAMPA codes you need for reference.

    In UTF-8 each symbol is encoded with two characters: so when typing with this keyboard layout you will have to precede each SAMPA code with AltGr-[same key]—the examples will make this clear.

  3. Examples

     (" ^ " indicates that the AltGr key on the right of the space-bar must be held down while the following key is pressed)

    To type

    ˈhæmlət prɪns əv ˈdenmɑːk

    (Hamlet Prince of Denmark) press the following keys:

    
           `"h^[{ml^'@t pr^iIns ^'@v `"denm^aA`:k

    Note that stress and length marks(ˈ ˌ ː) are typed differently from the other symbols: the pattern here is " ` " (grave accent) followed by SAMPA code.

    What you will see on the screen is largely gibberish—though it should be just recognizable:

    
           ËhæmlÉ™t prɪns É™v ËdenmÉËk
    Here is a French example: for

    nu nlɥi avɔ̃ ʁjɛ̃ done

    (nous ne lui avons rien donné) press the following keys:

    
           nu nl^hHi av^oO^#~ ^rRj^eE^#~ done

    When you have finished typing, switch back to En[glish], save your .htm file and view it in your browser.

    NB Do not type your text in Word: if you do you will almost certainly encounter problems when saving the file.

  4. Uninstalling UK IPA layout
    1. Close all running programs.
    2. Double-click on the registry update file:

      uninst_ipa_utf8.reg

      in Windows Explorer. This will restore the original Latvian layout.

    3. Reboot your machine.

  5. Feedback

     Please send us your comments or suggestions for improvement.

  6. Liability disclaimer

     This product and/or license is provided as is, without any representation or warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including without limitation any representations or endorsements regarding the use of, the results of, or performance of the product, its appropriateness, accuracy, reliability, or correctness. The entire risk as to the use of this product is assumed by the user and/or licensee. N Greenwood Software do not assume liability for the use of this program. In no event will N Greenwood Software or its agents be liable for additional direct or indirect damages including any lost profits, lost savings, or other incidental or consequential damages arising from any defects, or the use or inability to use these programs, even if N Greenwood Software or its agent have been advised of the possibility of such damages.


N Greenwood Software

Last updated December 2001