Transcription Decisions English

Transcription decisions: English

Spelling lists for CU Layer.

1. Compounds with hyphens

  • rear-end/rear-ended > rearend/rearended (if it is a verb, but if it is a noun, e.g. "rear end of the car", insert space)

2. Hesitation markers

  • ɑ > ah
  • ɛ > eh
  • ɹ [syllabic] > er
  • oʊ > oh
  • ə > uh
  • əm/ʌm > um
  • em
  • oh
  • ha
  • mm

3. Merged forms

  • couldn't > couldn=t

  • didn't > didn=t

  • doesn't > doesn=t

  • don't > don=t

  • I'd > i=d

  • I'm > i=m

  • it'd > it=d

  • shouldn't > shouldn=t

  • that's > that=s

  • there's > there=s

  • they're > they=re

  • Unclear determiner ["a" versus "the"] > (det) TBD

  • wasn't > wasn=t

  • we'd > we=d

  • what's > what=s

  • who's > who=s

  • you're > you=re

  • guy's ball -> guys, guy's (guy is) running -> guy=s

  • The following are lexicalized forms that appear in the dictionary: gonna, kinda, wanna.

COMMENT: How do we handle ambiguous cases with determiners e.g. with a vs. with the suggestion: with=e

4. Notations

  • [coughing]
  • [gulping]
  • [laughing]
  • [pfing] for a sound like "pfff"
  • [tongueclicking], including tsking as disapproval, while thinking and just mouth opening with a click
  • [throatclearing]
  • [whispering]
  • [sighing]
  • [sniffing]
  • [imitating] - when a person imitates a sound of a crash or other sounds related to the story
  • [yawning]

5. Other

  • basketball
  • ɛf > ef (i.e., case number ef sixteen)
  • soccer ball
  • renault
  • volkswagen
  • aysap (for a.s.a.p. 'as soon as possible', if pronounced 'ay-sap', not 'ay ess ay pee')

6. Foreign language material

  • hello - preevyet (привет)
  • Olya (name), not Olia