Issues in Collecting and Transcribing Speech Samples

Abstract

Phonetic transcription is an essential tool for speech-language pathologists working with phonologically impaired children. This article provides information that will help professionals enhance the accuracy of the phonetic transcriptions used in their clinical work. Important terms and concepts from articulatory/clinical phonetics (e.g., segment, phoneme) are reviewed and guidelines are provided for streamlining the process of whole-word live transcription and for refining transcriptions by incorporating features from audio/video recordings. Sounds that are particularly prone to transcription error are discussed (including unaspirated and unreleased stops and glottal stops), and selected phonetic symbols and diacritics are presented that have been found to be useful for transcribing non-English sounds and "distortions" that may occur in the speech of children with speech sound disorders (e.g., velar and bilabial fricatives and affricates and lateralized sibilants). The role of expectation in phonetic transcription is also discussed (Oller & Eilers, 1975). Examples from children with phonological impairments illustrate the possible negative effects of expectation, and suggestions are provided for minimizing these effects.