The Association Phonétique Internationale (in English, International Phonetic Association, in German, Weltlautschriftverein) was inaugurated in 1886, under the title of The Phonetic Teachers' Association, by a small group of language teachers in France who had found phonetic theory and phonetic transcription of value in connexion with their work, and who wished to popularise the methods that they had found so useful. A journal entitled Dhi Fonètik Tîtcer was started in May of that year, under the editorship of Paul Passy. It was a unique periodical, in that its contents were printed entirely in phonetic transcript.

At first the Association concerned itself mainly with phonetics as applied to the teaching of English, but the membership was international from the very start. (Incidentally, Otto Jespersen became a member in June, 1886, Wilhelm Viëtor in July, 1886, Henry Sweet and J. A. Lundell in September, 1886.) Soon a demand arose for phonetic texts in languages other than English, and for articles dealing with general phonetic problems.