International Phonetic Alphabet/ Language experts please!

butlerciaran

Hi i'm wondering if anybody can help me out with IPA? I need to translate some IPA into English and I just cant get my head around it at all. My head is wrecked from trying to get to grips with it and I would appreciate the help if anyone can spare the time please and thanks:

The 1st bit is :

| ə ˈmærɪd mæn wəz ˈhævɪŋ ən əˈfeə wɪð ɪz ˈsekrətəri | wʌn deɪ | ðeə ˈpæʃn̩z ˌəʊvəˈkeɪm ðəm ənd ˈðeɪ tʊk ɒf fə hə ˈhaʊs | weə ˈðeɪ meɪd ˈpæʃənət lʌv ɔːl ˌɑːftəˈnuːn | ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd frəm ði ˌæftərˈnuːnz ɪɡˈzɜːʃn̩z | ˈðeɪ fel əˈsliːp | əˈweɪkənɪŋ əˈraʊnd eɪt | ˈzɪərəʊ ˌpiːˈem | əz ðə mæn θruː ɒn ɪz kləʊðz | hi təʊld ðə ˈwʊmən tə teɪk ɪz ʃuːz ˌaʊtˈsaɪd ənd rʌb ðəm θruː ðə ɡrɑːs ənd dɜːt | ˈmɪstɪfaɪd | ʃi ˌnʌnðəˈles kəmˈplaɪd | hi slɪpt ˈɪntə ɪz ʃuːz ənd drəʊv həʊm |
weə həv ju biːn | dɪˈmɑːndɪd ɪz waɪf wen hi ˈentəd ðə ˈhaʊs |ˈdɑːlɪŋ | ˈaɪ kɑːnt laɪ tə ju | aɪv biːn ˈhævɪŋ ən əˈfeə wɪð maɪ ˈsekrətəri ənd wiv biːn ˈhævɪŋ seks ɔːl ˌɑːftəˈnuːn | ˈaɪ fel əˈsliːp ənd ˈdɪdnt weɪk ʌp ʌnˈtɪl eɪt əˈklɒk |
ðə waɪf ɡlɑːnst daʊn ət ɪz ʃuːz ənd ˈsed | ju məst θɪŋk ˈaɪ əm ˈstjuːpɪd | juv biːn ˈpleɪɪŋ ɡɒlf |

The second is :

| ðə wəz ə bəˈbuːn |
huː wʌn ˌɑːftəˈnuːn |
ˈsed ˈaɪ θɪŋk ˈaɪ wl flaɪ tə ðə sʌn |
səʊ wɪð ˈɡreɪt pɑːmz |
stræpt tu ɪz ɑːmz |
hi ˈstɑːtɪd hi ˈteɪˌkɒf rʌn |
maɪl ˈɑːftə maɪl |
hi ˈɡæləpt ɪn staɪl |
bət ˈnevə wʌns left ðə ɡraʊnd |
jə ˈɡəʊɪŋ tuː sləʊ ˈsed ə ˈpɑːsɪŋ krəʊ |
traɪ ˈriːtʃɪŋ ðə spiːd əv saʊnd |
| səʊ |
hi ˈpʊt ɒn ə spɜːt |
maɪ ɡɒd ˈhaʊ ɪt hɜːt |
bəʊθ ðə səʊlz əv ɪz fiːt ˈkɔːt ɒn ˈfaɪə |
əz hi went θruː ə striːm |
ðə wə ˈɡreɪt klaʊdz əv stiːm |
bət hi ˈnevə ˈɡɒt ˈeni ˈhaɪə |
| ɒn ənd ɒn θruː ðə naɪt |
bəʊθ ɪz niːz ˈkɔːt əˈlaɪt |
klaʊdz əv sməʊk ˈbɪləʊd aʊt əv ɪz rɪə |
kwɪk tu ɪz eɪd |
wə ðə ˈfaɪə brɪˈɡeɪd |
ˈðeɪ tʃeɪst ɪm fər ˈəʊvər ə jɜː |
ˈmeni muːnz pɑːst baɪ |
dɪd bəˈbuːn ˈevə flaɪ |
dɪd hi ˈevə ˈɡet tə ðə sʌn |
aɪv dʒəst hɜːd təˈdeɪ |
hiz wel ɒn ɪz ˈweɪ |
hil bi ˈpɑːsɪŋ || θruː ˈæktən ət wʌn |

Double dutch to me and I have spent hours trying so if any experts at it could help I'd really appreciate it thanks:)

Enkidu

It's a phonetic transcription of what appears to be a non-rhotic non-standard british accent (possibly australian)

The first passage is the first joke on this website:
http://buddychai.com/Misc/SixAffairs.html

The second:
Spike Milligan's silly old baboon joke.

Why somebody would put these things in IPA though?

butlerciaran

Enkidu,

Thank you very much, its a section in a TEFL booklet for practising using IPA, as I say I couldn't get my head around the translation of it so thank you that has helped greatly!

Enkidu

If you've any questions about IPA, just ask.

tac foley

That's odd, I was reading it without translation....

There was a baboon,
who one afternoon
said I think I will fly to the sun.
So with [two] great palms
strapped to 'is arms.
he started 'is takeoff run.
Mile after mile
he galloped in style
but never once left the ground.
You're going too slow, said a passing crow,
try reaching the speed of sound.....
etc.

tac

tac foley

Enkidu wrote: »

It's a phonetic transcription of what appears to be a non-rhotic non-standard british accent (possibly australian)

Not so, Sir - it's London/Essex English, called Estuary English - no 'H' initial letters and no final 'g' on -ng endings. As heard in 'Eastenders' on TV.

tac

pickarooney

tac foley wrote: »

Enkidu wrote: »

It's a phonetic transcription of what appears to be a non-rhotic non-standard t accent (possibly australian)

Not so, Sir - it's London/Essex English, called Estuary English - no 'H' initial letters and no final 'g' on -ng endings. As heard in 'Eastenders' on TV.

tac

The ng is there on the first 'having'. A lot of Aussies pronounce neither. Estuary English would have Fs and Vs for the THs.

Enkidu

tac foley wrote: »

Not so, Sir - it's London/Essex English, called Estuary English - no 'H' initial letters and no final 'g' on -ng endings. As heard in 'Eastenders' on TV.

tac

It's probably not Estuary English for the reasons pickarooney said. Also even if it was, Estuary English is non-rhotic anyway and would be an example of a non-rhotic British accent.

That said I'm not familiar with the specific phonetic values of different British accents so I don't know which non-rhotic accent it is.

pickarooney

There's no point in looking too closely at it as there are transcription errors - no accent drops the 's' in 'his take-off run', for example. The spelling of 'so' and a few others indicates an exaggerated RP accent.

tac foley

Spike Milligan, an Indian-born Irishman, sounds as London English [RP] as anybody I've ever listened to - you experts make up your own minds by listening to him being interviewed - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBWlJtLRkYw&feature=related

The words to his Baboon poem are not accented in text, but listening to HIM reading them in any of his many assumed accents might serve to confuse the heck out of anybody trying to figure out where he came from.

tac