Transcription

This transcription guide was originally prepared by Danielle Crecca to systematize the practice of transcribing interviews and conversations. It also includes notes regarding how this system might be effectively used given the constraints of the software and resource that our project implements. The following table includes a selection of notations that we use particularly often.

See Timestamps for more potentially relevant information.

Notation	Description
(.)	A full stop inside brackets denotes a micro pause, a notable pause but of no significant length.
(0.2)	A number inside brackets denotes a timed pause. This is a pause long enough to time and subsequently show in transcription.
CAPITALS	Where capital letters appear, it denotes that something was said loudly or even shouted
[	Square brackets denote a point where overlapping speech occurs.
Underlined text	Underlined text where overlaid laughter occurs.
(( ))	Non-verbal vocal actions and events encased within two rounded brackets.
((unclear))	Intelligible or unclear speech are denoted with a “unclear” placed within rounded brackets.

Things to consider

Overlaps and simultaneous speech

Opening square brackets are inserted at exactly the point in speaking where the overlap starts, and closing square brackets, where it ends. In both Jefferson and GAT, the respective brackets are aligned with each other within the text, however this is fairly tedious to do in MaxQDA. Perhaps just the indication of overlap with the brackets is sufficient? Will need to discuss this further. Please refer to Selting & Auer page 13 for a fuller discussion of this.

Example:

Subject 1: Are you going too?
Subject 2: No, I have to [work.
Subject 1: How about a] drink to celebrate [the day?
Subject 2: That] would be great.

Laughter

Kowal and O’Connell note two type of notation conventions for laughter. The first being what they term as “ha-ha laughter” where the approximate number and phonetic laughter syllables are transcribed, i.e. HA HA HA HA. The second being overlaid laughter, which occurs as an notation conventions: so-called ha-ha laughter was transcribed by an approximation to the number and phonetic constitution of laughter syllables; so-called overlaid laughter, overlay on spoken- word syllables. This is difficult to transcribe so it showed by underlining those parts of an utterance which were produced laughing.

Example:

Subject 1: What do you do?
Subject 2: HA HA HA HA HA AHH
Subject 1: I want to know, what do you do?
Subject 2: Transcribe music. Read books. Swim at the river. Go out at night.

Non-verbal vocal actions and events

Non-verbal vocal actions and events are denoted with two rounded brackets (( )). If the non-verbal action cannot be attributed to any one speaker the notion is entered as a new line in the transcript with its own timestamp.

Example:

Subject 1: Hello ((coughs)) I am ready.
((recording device beeps))
Subject 2: Great. 

Intelligibility

Intelligible or unclear speech are denoted with a “unclear” placed within rounded brackets, (unclear). GAT has suggestions for uncertainties/alternatives in speech, however adding in assumptions may lead to bias.

Example:

Subject 1: Are you sleeping?
Subject 2: (unclear) I was.
Subject 1: Oh never mind then.

Jeffersonian notation

The transcription protocol is adapted from Jefferson notation, which is summarized in the following table.

Notation	Description
[ ]	Square brackets mark the start and end of overlapping speech. They are aligned to mark the precise position of overlap as in the example below.
↑↓	Vertical arrows precede marked pitch movement, over and above normal rhythms of speech. They are used for notable changes in pitch beyond those represented by stops, commas and question marks.
→	Side arrows are used to draw attention to features of talk that are relevant to the current analysis.
underlining	Indicates emphasis; the extent of underlining within individual words locates emphasis and also indicates how heavy it is.
CAPITALS	Mark speech that is hearably louderthan surrounding speech. This is beyond the increase in volume that comes as a by product of emphasis.
°↑I know it,°	‘Degree’ signs enclose hearably quieter speech.
that’s r*ight.	Asterisks precede a ‘squeaky’ vocal delivery.
(0.4)	Numbers in round brackets measure pauses in seconds (in this case, 4 tenths of a second). If they are not part of a particular speaker’s talk they should be on a new line. If in doubt use a new line.
(.)	A micropause, hearable but too short to measure.
((stoccato))	Additional comments from the transcriber, e.g. about features of context or delivery.
she wa::nted	Colons show degrees of elongation of the prior sound; the more colons, the more elongation.
hhh	Aspiration (out-breaths); proportionally as for colons.
.hhh	Inspiration (in-breaths); proportionally as for colons.
Yeh,	‘Continuation’ marker, speaker has not finished; marked by fall-rise or weak rising intonation, as when delivering a list.
y’know?	Question marks signal stronger, ‘questioning’ intonation, irrespective of grammar.
Yeh.	Full stops mark falling, stopping intonation (‘final contour’), irrespective of grammar, and not necessarily followed by a pause.
bu-u-	Hyphens mark a cut-off of the preceding sound.
>he said<	‘Greater than’ and ‘lesser than’ signs enclose speeded-up talk. Occasionally they are used the other way round for slower talk.
solid.= =We had	‘Equals’ signs mark the immediate ‘latching’ of successive talk, whether of one or more speakers, with no interval.
heh heh	Voiced laughter. Can have other symbols added, such as underlinings, pitch movement, extra aspiration, etc.
sto(h)p i(h)t	Laughter within speech is signalled by h’s in round brackets

Jefferson, G. (2004). Glossary of transcript symbols with an introduction. In G. H. Lerner (Ed). Conversation Analysis: Studies from the First Generation. (pp: 13-31). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Hepburn, A. and Bolden, G. B. (2013). Transcription. In Sidnell, J. & Stivers, T. (Eds). Blackwell Handbook of Conversation Analysis (pp 57-76). Oxford: Blackwell.

Additional notation for crying and similar ‘emotional expression’:

Notation	Description
°°help°°	Whispering –enclosed by double degree signs.
.shih	Wet sniff.
.skuh	Snorty sniff.
~grandson~	Wobbly voice –enclosed by tildes.
↑↑Sorry	Very high pitch –represented by one or more upward arrows.
k(hh)ay	Aspiration in speech–an ‘h’ represents aspiration: in parenthesis indicates a sharper more plosive sound.
hhhelp	Outside parenthesis indicates a softer more breathy sound.
Huhh .hhih	Sobbing–combinations of ‘hhs’, some with full stops before them to indicate inhaled rather than exhaled, many have voiced vowels.
Hhuyuhh	Some also have voiced consonants.
>hhuh<	If sharply inhaled or exhaled enclosed inthe ‘greater than/less than’ symbols (> <).
↑Mm:. hh (3.5)	Silence–numbers in parentheses represent silence in tenths of a second.

Hepburn, A. (2004). Crying: Notes on description, transcription, and interaction. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 37(3), 251-290.

Additional commonly used notations:

Notation	Description
$funny$	Smile voice –laughing/chuckling between markers.
#sad#	Talk between markers is croaky.
t, d,	Boldface consonant represent a hardened sound.