Jefferson Transcription System – A guide to the symbols

What is the Jefferson Transcription System?

“Jeffersonian Transcription” or the “Jefferson Transcription System” is a conversational analysis code used by
academics looking at speech patterns. It can also be useful for anyone trying to annotate a conversation or the
style of a participant to a conversation. It takes quite a bit more time than conventional transcription and as such
it usually comes at a premium cost. Gail Jefferson was the pioneer of this system hence the name.

Jefferson Transcription provides a method for annotating speech with details of performance, acts, texts,
movement, and interaction between actors, content and context. 

It is not recommended for simple transcription as you will see below. Certain elements of it can assist in a range
of settings – for example if you are looking for an indication of when a participant’s voice has got higher or
lower – but the overall usage is really only relevant to academics looking to study conversation in some detail.

The table we use at UniversityTranscriptions for undertaking conversational analysis transcription can be found
below. The first view is the .pdf version, with the table version below. We have also included another table with
alternative symbols included.
Jefferson Transcription Example
 Transcription Symbols for Conversational Analysis
SYMBOL DEFINITION AND USE

[yeah] Overlapping talk

[okay]

= End of one TCU and beginning of next begin with no

gap/pause in between (sometimes a slight overlap if
there is speaker change). Can also be used when TCU
continues on new line in transcript.

(.) Brief interval, usually between 0.08 and 0.2 seconds

(1.4) Time (in absolute seconds) between end of a word and

beginning of next. Alternative method: “none-one-
thousand-two-one-thousand…”: 0.2, 0.5, 0.7, 1.0
seconds, etc.

Word [first letter underlined]  Underlining indicates emphasis. Placement indicates

Wo:rd [colon underlined] which syllable(s) are emphasised. 

Placement within word may also indicate

timing/direction of pitch movement (later underlining
may indicate location of pitch movement)

wo::rd Colon indicates prolonged vowel or consonant.

One or two colons common, three or more colons only

in extreme cases.

↑word Marked shift in pitch, up (↑) or down (↓). Double arrows

↓word can be used with extreme pitch shifts.

.,_¿? Markers of final pitch direction at TCU boundary:

Final falling intonation (.)
Slight rising intonation (,)
Level/flat intonation (_)
Medium (falling-)rising intonation (¿) (a dip and a rise)
Sharp rising intonation (?)

WORD Upper case indicates syllables or words louder than

surrounding speech by the same speaker
 SYMBOL DEFINITION AND USE

°word° Degree sign indicate syllables or words distinctly

quieter than surrounding speech by the same speaker

<word< td="" style="box-sizing: border- Pre-positioned left carat indicates a hurried start of a
box;"></word<> word, typically at TCU beginning

word- A dash indicates a cut-off. In phonetic terms this is

typically a glottal stop

>word< Right/left carats indicate increased speaking rate

(speeding up)

Left/right carats indicate decreased speaking rate

(slowing down)

.hhh Inbreath. Three letters indicate ‘normal’ duration.

Longer or shorter inbreaths indicated with fewer or
more letters.

hhh Outbreath. Three letters indicate ‘normal’ duration.

Longer or shorter inbreaths indicated with fewer or
more letters.

whhord Can also indicate aspiration/breathiness if within a word

(not laughter)

w(h)ord Indicates abrupt spurts of breathiness, as in laughing

while talking

£word£ Pound sign indicates smiley voice, or suppressed

laughter

#word# Hash sign indicates creaky voice

~word~ Tilde sign indicates shaky voice (as in crying)

(word) Parentheses indicate uncertain word; no plausible

candidate if empty

(( )) Double parentheses contain analyst comments or

 SYMBOL DEFINITION AND USE

descriptions

Showing 1 to 24 of 24 entries
Transcription Symbols used by University Transcriptions for Conversational Analysis/Jefferson Transcription.

There is another table, which is slightly different, although we do not use this ourselves.

Jefferson Transcription System Symbols

SYMBOL DESCRIPTION

(.) A micropause - a pause of no significant length.

(0.7) A timed pause - long enough to indicate a time.

[] Square brackets show where speech overlaps.

>< Arrows showing that the pace of speech has quickened.

<> Arrows showing that the pace of the speech has slowed down.

() Unclear section.

(( )) An entry requiring comment but without a symbol to explain it.

Underlinin Denotes a raise in volume or emphasis.

g

↑ Rise in intonation

↓ Drop in intonation

→ Entered by the analyst to show a sentence of particular interest. Not usually added by the
transcriber.

CAPITALS Louder or shouted words.

(h) Laughter in the conversation/speech.

= Will be at the end of one sentence and the start of the next. It indicates that there was no pause
SYMBOL DESCRIPTION

between them.

::: Colons - indicate a stretched sound.

Showing 1 to 15 of 15 entries
Table of symbols used for Jeffersonian Transcription.

If you would like Jefferson Transcription please mention it when requesting a quotation