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.
kbd_ipa_utf8.kbd
to your Windows/System folder.
inst_ipa_utf8.reg
in Windows Explorer. This will ensure that the system recognizes the new keyboard (as a "Latvian" layout).
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.)
<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.
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 ËdenmÉËkHere is a French example: for
nu nlɥi avɔ̃ ʁjɛ̃ done
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.
uninst_ipa_utf8.reg
in Windows Explorer. This will restore the original Latvian layout.
N Greenwood Software
Last updated December 2001