Typing IPA Symbols in Mac OS X 10.5

Question

Level 1

1 points

Typing IPA Symbols in Mac OS X 10.5

Hello everyone, I am new here, and I've been searching everywhere to find out where to post this question, so I really apologize if this is not exactly the correct place for it!!

I specifically have Microsoft Word for MacBook, but I guess this question could really apply to any word processing application on a MacBook...

I am a Linguistics student and I need to type symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) format. Would anybody know how to type such symbols?? I've looked through all the fonts in MS Word and none of them have the symbols I am looking for. Does anyone know if these symbols even automatically exist on the MacBook, or if they must be downloaded (and where)?

Thanks so much in advance--and even if no one else has MS Word, even if you might know how to type these symbols in another word processor, I'd still be happy to know how you did this (maybe I might also have this same application as you do and not even know it because I'm so computer-illiterate!! 🙂 🙂

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on May 2, 2008 11:49 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Barry

Level 9

60,023 points

Jan 4, 2011 10:08 AM in response to Rylan1015

Hi Rylan,

Welcome to Apple Discussions and the AppleWorks forum.

You're correct in assuming this may not be exactly the right place to post this question, but I sympathise with the difficulty you experienced in finding a 'right place.'

There are some IPA fonts available on the web for download, but many, if not all of the IPA symbols (eg. dʒ and ŋ ) can be found in the Unicode encoded fonts on your Mac.*

Most may not be available directly from the keyboard. To locate those that are, got to Syatem Preferences > International > Input menu and show the Keyboard Viewer. While you're there. check the box beside Character Palette to add it to the selection. And if you do not have US Extended selected as one of your keyboard choices, check the box beside this keyboard layout as well.* The Close the International pane to exit System Preferences.

If it's not already in the menu bar, these actions will add the Input menu toward the right end of your menu bar. It will appear as a small flag corresponding to your currently selected keyboard.

Keyboard viewer will show you the characters available directly from the keyboard, using the letter, symbol and number keys and using these keys and one or more of the modifier keys (shift, option, commant and ctrl).

Character Palette will show all of the characters available in the selected palette. You can drag and drop these characters from the palette into a word processor document.* Ŋ is character #406, ŋ is #407.

Regards,
Barry

*AppleWorks users note: AppleWorks cannot recognize or use characters using Unicode encoding, and characters ooutside the standard Roman set cannot be dragged into an AppleWorks document. Attempting to enter text using a Unicode keyboard layout will cause AppleWorks to immediately crash. You can have a Unicode layout listed in your input menu, and can use it with other applications, but you must use a Roman encoded KB layout with AppleWorks.
B

Reply

Answer 2

Rylan1015 Author

Level 1

1 points

Jan 4, 2011 10:08 AM in response to Barry

Aaaahh, I got it---thanks so much Barry!!

I went into System Preferences and checked all of the items you told me to and it worked!! I never knew all of these characters were on my computer! That's like, totally awesome! Haha, thanks again, I found all of the characters I needed for my report! I was looking everywhere for that little "ŋ" symbol and also "ε"...I kept trying to copy and paste from the internet but that was soooo not working!!

Thanks again for your help! 🙂

~ry

Reply