Inputting IPA Using a Unicode Font

Page Index

• Download a Unicode font
• Assign keystrokes for character input
• Create a special keyboard for character input

Download a Unicode font

In order to input IPA using a Unicode font, the font must be downloaded on your computer. Some computers come with a Unicode font, which only needs to be installed; for others you must download a Unicode font from the Internet. If you must download, make sure the font is compatible with your operating system.

Windows

1. Download a Unicode IPA font. There are a few different fonts that you can choose from. Here is a list of possible choices:
   
   
   • Summer Institute of Linguistics Doulos Unicode IPA Font
   • Summer Institute of Linguistics Encore IPA Fonts
     
     
2. Unzip the file to the directory of your choice. Windows XP comes with an unzipping utility, otherwise you will have to download one yourself.
   
   

Mac OSX

The Mac OSX operating system is Unicode-compliant, but current versions of Microsoft Word for Mac do not support IPA characters. The Mac word processing program, TextEdit, fully supports Unicode, but it lacks advanced formatting ability. A fully functional alternative word processing program is Mellel, which is available for a nominal price at http://www.redlers.com.

An excellent Unicode font that includes IPA and many other characters is bundled with OS 10.2.3 and higher, called Lucida Sans Regular. To install it,

1. Open the following folders in this order:
   • Hard Drive
   • System
   • Library
   • Frameworks
   • JavaVM.framework
   • Versions
   • 1.4.1
   • Home
   • lib
   • fonts
2. Now locate the font called 'LucidaSansRegular.ttf' and drag it to the Library folder of your user Home directory.

Assign keystrokes for character input

One way of inputting characters is to assign keystroke combinations to them. This way, instead of, having to insert a symbol each time you want to use an unusual character, you simply hit a combination of keys of your choosing that inserts that character. So, '<control> h' can be used to insert ɦ.

Windows

To assign keystrokes in a Microsoft Office application, such as Microsoft Word:

1. Go to "Insert Symbol"
2. Selecting the character you want to assign
3. Click on the "shortcut" key
4. Type the keystrokes you want to use

For a step-by-step guide with pictures, go to About.com's word processing pages. The above only assigns the keystroke for the application you do it in, so if you need it outside Word, you'll need to download Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator to map an IPA character to a keystroke generally.

Mac OSX

You can create keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word in the same way that you do for a Windows machine. However, Microsoft Keyboard Layout Creator is not Mac compatible, so you cannot map the character to a keystroke generally.

Create a special keyboard for character input

Another way to input characters is to make a special keyboard. A special keyboard will assign new characters to your existing keyboard. When activated, the 'e' key can, for instance, insert 'ə' instead of 'e'. You may also make a pop-up keyboard, which pops up on the computer screen when prompted. It contains buttons for the characters you choose to be represented on it. In order to insert a character, then, you simply point your cursor at the desired character and click on it.

Windows

1. Download and install Keyman 6.0 (not Keyman Developer 6.0) The download is a self-extracting EXE file so you don't have to unzip it.
2. A small Keyman icon should show up at the bottom right of your screen. If it doesn't, try rebooting and/or reinstalling Keyman
3. Right-click on that icon and select 'Keyman Configuration'
4. Click on 'install keyboard'
5. Browse and find the Unicode keyboard you want to work with
6. When you go into your word processor, change the active font to your IPA font. Then press Ctrl-shift-p to activate the IPA keyboard.

Mac OSX

You can use the Character Palette for inputting any Unicode character that is not available on your keyboard. To activate the character palette, do the following:

1. Open System Preferences
2. Click on 'International'
3. Under 'Input Menu' check the box for Character Palette
4. Click on the flag icon in the menu bar at the top of the screen to bring up the drop-down menu.
5. From here, click on 'Character Palette' to activate it. You will find a large variety of Unicode characters available for input.

You can also use Ukelele to create a special keyboard. It can be downloaded at: http://scripts.sil.org/cms/scripts/page.php?site_id=nrsi&item_id=ukelele

Related Links
	About Unicode Unicode Code-points Unicode for Language Documentation How to Input Unicode