ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

IPA chart for English dialects

Ok kiddo, imagine that you are playing with your friends and you want to tell them how to say a word, but they don't understand your accent. That's where the IPA chart comes in! It's like a special tool that helps people understand how to say words in different accents.

The IPA chart has lots of symbols that each represent a different sound that can be made in language. Think of them like different colors on a crayon box - each color has a different name and can be used to make different pictures. In the same way, each symbol on the IPA chart has a different name and is used to make different sounds.

Now, let's talk about English dialects. You know how some people say words differently than others? For example, some people say "car" with a long "a" sound like "caaar", while others say it with a short "a" sound like "car"? Those are different dialects of English.

The IPA chart can help us understand these dialects because it shows us how to make the different sounds that are used in each dialect. For example, if you want to know how to pronounce the word "car" in a Southern American English dialect, you can look at the IPA chart and see that the symbol for the "a" sound in "car" is different in that dialect than in other dialects.

So, whether you're trying to learn a new English dialect or just trying to understand someone with a different accent than you, the IPA chart can be a helpful tool to show you how to make the sounds you need to say the words correctly.