Experimental studies were carried out on infrared-active phonons in the Aurivillius ferroelectric SrBi 2 Ta 2 O 9 ͑SBT͒, using reflectivity measurements ͑down to 200 cm Ϫ1 ͒ and transmission measurements ͑down to 100 cm Ϫ1 ͒ on crystals, pellets, and thin films. An analysis was done of the contrasting consequences of the competing orthorhombic and pseudotetragonal symmetries in SBT. Reflectivity results for light polarized in the ab plane show that the anisotropy in this plane is small in the frequency range from 300 to 1200 cm Ϫ1 , indicating the influence of the approximate tetragonal symmetry. Dielectric dispersion properties were derived for this polarization (EЌc) in this frequency range. The transverse-optical ͑TO͒ and longitudinal-optical ͑LO͒ frequencies corresponding to the dominant EЌc band are 613 and 773 cm Ϫ1 , respectively. This strong, highfrequency band arises from a mode dominated by the motion of the oxygen sublattice; its TO and LO frequencies yield an oxygen-ion Szigeti effective charge of Ϫ1.5e. Frequency estimates for the TO ͑LO͒ pairs of other strong bands are 188͑330͒ and 334(451) cm Ϫ1 for EЌc, and 610͑675͒ and 780(815) cm Ϫ1 for Eʈc. In addition to the main infrared bands, the main Raman bands of SBT are also reported.