Looking at phonetics and transcription.

Let’s discuss Phonetics / fənɛtɪks/ and transcription/ trænskrɪpʃn/

 

What is it?

Phonetics is the difference in pronunciation of all our individual speech sounds. For example; the ‘‘th’ in ‘thing’ is voiceless (you can feel the air escaping) whereas the ‘th’ in ‘then’ is voiced, despite being produced in the same part of the mouth.

A voiced sound produces vibration, whereas a voiceless sound uses air only. You can feel if a sound is voiced, by popping your hand gently on your throat and feeling the vibrations.

       Thing /θɪŋ/                                       Then /ðɛn/

See in the transcription above the voiceless symbol is different to the voiced symbol.

Why use transcription?

Transcription is used when taking a speech sample from our children to evidence a true visual representation of their speech sounds pronunciation, by using symbols. Speech and Language Therapists follow the RCSLT good practice guidelines whilst using transcription to evidence current speech sounds within words or utterances. This direct approach can evidence where the child may be in their developmental journey, helping us to understand their speech profile, giving us at Unlocking Communication a focus for speech therapy.

‘Phonetic transcription is a unique skill to SLTs, among the healthcare and education professions; no-one else can provide this information about a child’s speech’ (RCSLT, 2017).

Want to discuss your child’s speech further? Get in touch with us today.

 

 

For further information on transcription and speech sound disorders, take a look at this brilliant previous RCSLT bulletin, ask the experts ‘Child speech sound disorder: special addition’ (2019).

https://www.rcslt.org/wp-content/uploads/media/Project/Bulletins/bulletin-august-ask-the-experts.pdf