AN EVALUATION OF CONSONANT LETTERS IN OXFORD URDU ENGLISH DICTIONARY THROUGH PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION ACCORDING TO IPA

Abstract

This evaluative study was categorized as a formative assessment in the field of lexicology, specifically within the framework of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The primary focus of the research was the evaluation of the Oxford Urdu English Dictionary (2013), with the IPA phonetic key as a variable and all Urdu dictionaries as the population. The research selected the Oxford Urdu English Dictionary (2013) as the sample. This first edition, published in 2013, is notable for using phonetic transcription of Urdu words according to the International Phonetic Alphabet. However, it lacks appropriate phonetic symbols for the various sounds in question, often using the same symbol for two or more distinguishable sounds in Urdu. The research tools included the IPA chart, the Handbook of the IPA, The Sounds of the World’s Languages, Urdu phonetic books, and dictionaries. The etymology of words from Urdu was explored, revealing roots in Arabic, Persian, Hindi, and Sanskrit, as indicated by the phonetic key. The results releaved that the phonetic same symbols used in dictionary for different letters do not correspond to and precisely describe the sounds of different Urdu letters as pronounced in real life according to places and manners of Urdu articulation. Therefore, in the present study, appropriate symbols were selected from the IPA chart to distinguish sounds of different letters that otherwise appeared to sound alike. Despite detailed studies on consonants, research on vowels remains limited.