Language Transcription

PREPARED BY: MA. KATHLEEN ANTONIO, CSP -PASP

ADAPTED BY: ELINOR BAUTISTA, CSP-PASP

FOR USE BY: SLP 1044, MARCH 02, 2023

 What is language transcription
and analysis?

Why do we need to
Who transcribes and
transcribe and analyze
analyzes language?
language?

How do we transcribe? What do we need in

transcribing a sample?
 RULES PUNCTUATION
Language
Transcription

CAPITALIZATION ABBREVIATION
Language Transcription: General Rules
▪ Transcribe FULL utterances by child and others within the child’s
hearing.
▪ Divide by a VERTICAL LINE
▪ Other speakers (L), Child’s utterances (R)
▪ Use INITIALS to identify who the speaker is (e.g. M for Mommy, L
for Luna, D for Daddy, etc.)
Language Transcription: General Rules
▪ If simultaneous with utterance - put on same level, use
progressive tense

▪ If before utterance - put on a level above, use simple present

tense
▪ If after utterance - put on a level below, use simple present tense
Language Transcription: General Rules
▪ Same verb tense conventions apply to speakers other than the
child, but utterances and description can succeed one another on
different lines since there is not enough space to put both on the
same line.
 Language Transcription: General Rules
▪ Utterances that succeed each other immediately – WITH NO CHANGE IN
SITUATION – follow each other on the same line

▪ If there is any change in situation, the utterances appear on different lines.

▪ When in doubt, put on separate lines.

Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ For utterances of child and other speakers, usual sign of utterance
boundary is a slash (/)
▪ Boundary is determined by the length of pause before the next
utterance and by its apparent terminal contour.
▪ With older children and adults, the slash may be considered
equivalent to a period.
Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ Utterances of adult or child may be followed by an exclamation
mark. When the child’s utterance is exclamatory, it should be
followed by BOTH and exclamation mark and the usual slash.

▪ Adult questions are indicated by question marks. For the child’s

Wh- question, a question mark may be used.
Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ When a child’s utterance seems to be a question because there is a
rising intonation, it should be followed by a rising arrow (↑)
instead of a question mark.

▪ Use a rising arrow (↑) for a “well-formed” yes/no question (i.e.

one with subject-verb inversion).
Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ A pause within an utterance is indicated by a dot ()

▪ A long pause between utterances WITHIN THE SAME GENERAL

SITUATION is indicated by a horizontal dots.
Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ A long pause between utterances WHERE THERE IS A CHANGE IN
THE GENERAL SITUATION is marked by three vertical dots on the
center line.

▪ A colon is used to indicate that an utterances or word is drawn out.

Language Transcription: Punctuation
▪ A curving arrow is used when there is some kind of utterance
boundary, utterance that sounds unfinished (e.g. counting, listing).

▪ Stress marks indicate strongly emphasized words.

Language Transcription: Other Punctuation
▪ Use a falling arrow (↓) to emphasize that an utterance had falling
terminal contour.

▪ Use a line (____) to indicate an abrupt stop when a child or other

speaker suddenly interrupts their own utterance – leaving the
utterance unfinished.
Language Transcription: Other Punctuation
▪ Use a “self-correct” symbol (s/c) when a child or other speaker
interrupts their own utterance to change or correct it.

▪ Use three dashes (---) to indicate an unintelligible utterance or

portion of an utterance. If possible, use a phonetic transcription.
Language Transcription: Capitalization
▪ Names are capitalized.
▪ Initial letter of child utterance is not.
▪ Initial letter of adult utterance may be capitalized.
 1. Child said “yehey” while opening a
gift.
2. Child gets a candy from the table
and then asks his mom if he can eat
Language candy “can I eat a candy”
Transcription:
Punctuation 3. Child counts one until five
4. Child asks his playmate if he wants
to play (“play”)
5. The SLP asks the kid what his
favorite color is.
Child said “yehey” while opening a gift.
Child gets a candy from the table and then asks
his mom if he can eat candy “can I eat a candy”
Child counts one until five
Child asks his playmate if he wants to
play (“play”)
The SLP asks the kid what his favorite
color is.
Language Transcription: Abbreviations
▪ Use X to indicate repetition when a child or other speaker
repeats their own utterance COMPLETELY AND EXACTLY.
ANY CHANGE IN THE UTTERANCE MUST BE INDICATED ,
including clear changes in intonation.
Language Transcription: Abbreviations
▪ Use an equal sign (=) when an adult repeats a child’s
utterance.
▪ When a child repeats an adult utterance, it should be
WRITTEN IN FULL even if the repetition is exact.
▪ An equal sign can never represent a child utterance,
although it may be placed next to the utterance just to
indicate that it is a repetition of an adult utterance.
Language Transcription: Abbreviations
▪ Use symbol # to indicate that there is material on the
recorder that is not transcribed.
▪ It usually represents conversations between adults.
▪ The symbol is only used when it is reasonable to assume
that the child not attending to or, in fact, does not hear
the conversation.
 Language (lf) • laugh

Transcription: (wh) • whisper

Abbreviations (cr) • cry
▪ These abbreviations (wm) • whimper
may be useful for
behavior that occurs (wn) • whine
fairly frequently.
(y) • yell

(gr) • grunt
Lahey, M. (1988). Language
Development and Language Disorders.
USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Paul, R. (2011). Language Disorders

from Infancy through Adolescence:
Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing,
and Communicating (4th ed.). Mosby.