‘Correct’ transcriptions

Students learning phonetics frequently worry whether they have the ‘correct’ transcription. Common mistakes include: transcribing the same sounds differently (or different sounds the same); importing letters from spelling (like [c] for [k], or ‘silent’ letters likein); using strong vowels where weak ones are more usual (e.g. [fɔ:, fɔr] for [fə, fər] in ‘for’).

Aside from accuracy, the appropriateness of a transcription depends on what the transcription is to be used for and the style of transcription that is adopted. As we have seen, the same thing can be transcribed in a number of different ways; and each transcription is useful for noting different kinds of thing. The main problem that arises with transcriptions as a working tool is when they are inconsistent; which means that the transcription style needs to be decided at the outset. It is also good practice to state briefly what conventions have been used for transcription: e.g. ‘[r] stands for [ɹ]’; ‘the transcription is phonemic’; ‘the transcription is impressionistic and focuses on nasalization’.