Practice question · Select all that apply
Which are true of a narrow phonetic transcription?
Hints
- Three describe narrow transcription; the fourth describes the broad kind.
- Recording only contrastive units is by definition phonemic.
Show the answer
- A. It can describe a language whose phonology is unknown
- C. It records detail such as aspiration and length
- D. It is written in square brackets
Why
The fourth defines broad transcription, which is the other option. The third is worth noticing: because narrow transcription records what was heard rather than what contrasts, it is what a fieldworker uses on day one, before there is any phonemic analysis to be broad about.
Practise Phonetics and Phonology
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