Transcriptions

A transcript is a detailed writing down of spoken words in a written form. A detailed transcript might include information about intonation, length of pauses, pitch, tempo and volume where these influence the meaning or intention of the speaker. Less detailed transcripts may have the words and only a suggestion of some of the features of actual speech.

By making then reading a detailed transcript we come to a much clearer idea of how we speak.

The following transcriptions are available for study.

Going Equipped (looking at the differences between transcripts)

Catherine Grey aged 2 years 10 months

Motor-Racing Commentators

John Snagge, The Boat Race 26th March 1949 (audio)

A transcript  of a radio commentary spoken by John Snagge while watching the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat Race on 26th March, 1949.

Weather forecasts (three broadcasts)

Parkinson interviews Cher

Another way to analyse language in action is to conduct a guided interview. This means the interviewer can plan ahead on what language features to look for and either elicit anticipated responses or record unexpected responsees for later analysis. Visit The Guided interview.