The International Phonetic Association (IPA) is a society that aims to promote the scientific study of phonetics and its practical application. An important contribution to this is the development of the International Phonetic Alphabet. The abbreviation IPA refers to both the society and the alphabet. The Society publishes the Journal of the International Phonetic Association, published since 2000 by the Cambridge University Press.
The IPA was established in Paris in 1886 by a group of talent teachers led by French linguist Paul Passy. The aim was to give phonetics a practical application in language education, thus promoting a correct pronunciation of the (foreign) languages. The group originally named Dhi Fonètik Tîcerz 'Asóciécon (FTA), but in 1889 the name was changed to L'Association Phonétique des Professors de Langues Vivantes (AP). In 1897, the used name was introduced: L'Association Phonétique Internationale (API), in the English International Phonetic Association.
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