The phrase "wert a member" is a phrase commonly used in historical texts to describe someone's status as a member of a particular group or organization. The spelling of "wert" may be confusing to modern readers, as it is an archaic spelling of "were." The IPA phonetic transcription for "wert" is /wərt/, which represents the schwa sound followed by the r sound. This pronunciation is often associated with Old and Middle English and is no longer commonly used in modern English.