"Pronunciatiopn Plus" (Cambriidge University Press) What alphabet are they using?

I am teaching English pronunciation in Asia and have a frustrating
situation. I am using Cambridge's 'Pronunciation Plus' text book (North
American English) and audio materials. However, the symbols it uses do
not match the International Phonetic Alphabet. They also don't match
the symbols used in the most common dictionaries sold here - Oxford.
Seems odd to be off-standard.

Anyway, what system ARE they using? For example, the vowel sound in
'see' is written /iy/; the vowel sound in 'say' is written /ey/; 'you'
as /uw/; and 'snow' as /ow/. Most odd of all, the text itself does not
explain what standard it is using. As I see it, it has to be system A,
or B or a proprietary system. Indeed it is annoying for students to not
be able to use their British dictionaries, which, as I recall, write
the vowel sound in 'cap' as /A:/ not a strange combination of 'a' and
'e' that I don't know how to type here.

Signed,
Bewildered

P.S. On the plus side, the text distinguishes between Canadian and
American options as well as introducing California and Nerw York
variants. As a Canadian, I find my natural accent much closer to New
York than Los Angeles, and I have to force myself to say the 'a' as in
'father' sound the California way, let alone the Mid-western (?)
standard American way. Oddly, it is easier for me to say it the
California fashion, but I might be making a charicature of ity. In
Canada, at least in my west coast working class background, we often
replace the 'a' sound with that weird symbol of a backward 'c', as
pronounced in 'bored'. The few places I can naturally say the American
'a' are in guitar and calm. Almost every other word use of the American
'a' grates on my ears.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: "Pronunciatiopn Plus" (Cambriidge University Press) What alphabet are they using?
    ... American English) and audio materials. ... the symbols used in the most common dictionaries sold here - Oxford. ... the vowel sound in 'cap' as /A:/ not a strange combination of 'a' and ... vowel diacritics that had found favor here well before IPA was ...
    (sci.lang)
  • Re: Change from you to ya
    ... Could anyone tell me what's that about and on what occasions should I ... Vowels in an unstressed syllable tend to become schwas. ... vowel sound. ... An American living in the Netherlands ...
    (alt.usage.english)
  • Re: Dictionary.app and IPA pronunciation
    ... > be that the work was done by non-native American English speakers ... > without reference to a standard pronouncing dictionary of American ... Not for the words with the vowel sound in "sat". ...
    (comp.sys.mac.apps)
  • Re: "An" with "h"
    ... Does it also vary between American and British English? ... "an" is used before a word that starts with a vowel sound. ... an herb ...
    (alt.usage.english)