AILA 2024 Comparison of Phonetic Transcription Practices in Speech-Language Therapy.pdf

Phonetic transcription is a key skill in Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) practice. Yet, recent studies (e.g., Knight et al., 2018) reflect the disparity on the teaching of phonetics in the classroom and how it is practiced in the industry. In considering the linguistically diverse contexts of Asia, the proposition to align accurate learning to practice is especially important (Howard & Heselwood, 2002, Rahilly, 2011, Titterington & Bates, 2018).

Knight et al.’s (2018) study in the U.K. found that SLTs defined “narrow transcription” as “having indicated diacritics”, as opposed to how narrow transcription is used strictly in linguistics. In their study, SLTs employed a “mixed” transcription method, transitioning freely between broad and narrow transcriptions, and used descriptive terms (e.g., “nasal”) in place of diacritics. Currently, there is no study that has systematically evaluated the SLT transcription practices in Singapore. This study therefore is an attempt to align phonetic transcription standards in education and clinical practice in Singapore.

In this study, SLTs will be presented with an audio recording containing a disordered speech sample. The SLTs are instructed to transcribe the disordered speech according to how they would perform this in the clinic, and to present brief clinical notes on the treatment plan. The data obtained will be examined from a linguistics perspective to compare if the annotations are aligned according to linguistic conventions.

We hypothesize that our findings will reflect that of Knight et al.’s (2018), where inconsistencies in definitions and practice are seen. It is likely that we will observe “free and optional” use of diacritics and unclear distinction between underlying and surface representations. The findings of this study will allow us to identify if a gap exists between transcription training for SLT students and clinical practice and will hold implications for informing classroom teaching in Singapore’s SLT training.