Abstract
Since existing ASCII versions of phonetic transcription systems appear to aim at transcribing European languages only, they prove to be insufficient to accommodate syllable based tonal languages such as Chinese. An ASCII encoding of phonetic transcription system for speech database of Chinese was designed. Major characteristics of the proposed design are: 1. Though based on the principles of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), the current design includes two levels of transcription, namely, segmental and prosodic. The consequence is a more elaborate system than the IPA or its equivalent. 2. The proposed system specifically aims to transcribe three major Chinese dialects spoken in Taiwan, namely, Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka. The consequence is a more language-dependent system rather than a general system as the IPA.
