Which languages share sounds with English?

More accurately entitled, A typology of consonantal segment inventories of the world's most spoken languages, and also Welsh.

Spelling reform: some unanswered questions

There are various arguments for and against spelling reform. But if we all agreed it was necessary, what are the problems we would face in finding a new standard?

The International Phonetic Alphabet

In order to write sensibly about phonemes and allophones, we need a phonetic writing system - one where each symbol stands for a single sound, and each sound has its own symbol. Most commonly used is the International Phonetic Alphabet (though frequently with some personalisation).