EN
The first part of the paper deals with some phonetic notations (analphabetic and alphabetic) which were worked out in the past. It shows different types of transcription together with the main reasons for transcribing. It also gives an analysis of the notions of phoneme and allophone, which belong to the theoretical basis for constructing systems of phonetic transcription and are relevant for the distinction of their basic types. Besides, this sheds light upon the general classification of vowels as well as on the concept of cardinal vowels and on the nature of diphthongs.