Coding Child Babble
Instructions on coding babble for the Blind Babies Babble project
Before annotating child production, make sure you have completed the ACLEW training and passed the Gold Standard ACLEW tests.
To keep track of your progress, please go to this google sheet and make a copy (File -> Make a copy) , fill out your name, and keep track of the tasks you have completed. Once you have completed them, please share the sheet with your mentor.
Coding Babble - Segmentation and ACLEW
You will be assigned a file and given instruction as to the parts you will need to code. If the parts you are coding are already segmented and coded for ACLEW, move on to the next part. if they are not, see the child production training page and the Coding Child Production page on how to segment and code these utterances.
Coding Babble - Actual Babbling Coding
Code all utterances labelled as C (canonical). Do not code utterances labelled as N, Y, or L. As per ACLEW conventions, leave them as 0.
Begin your transcription with the @nl tag for nonlexical utterances. This lets us know that the transcriptions are not words. Transcribe all syllables with no white spaces. As per ACLEW format, conclude the coding with a period. You may also use question marks (?) or exclamation points (!) if the intonation seems appropriate. Example: Child babbling with questioning intonation: @nl babagada?
We will be using ARPAbet conventions to transcribe the babble, we will be using the 2nd, non-case sensitive ARPAbet system, using lower case. So, for example, the sound in butter should be transcribed as [dh], and the sound in sing should be transcribed as [ng]. Listen to the babbled utterance and code phonemes to the best of your ability. Don't be hung up on phonemes; child productions are notoriously difficult.
DO's:
In case of ambiguity, resolve to the nearest approximation - aka, if it sounds like it, it probably is. In case of ambiguity between two sounds, resolve to the simpler sound / the sound that exists in English phonological repertoire. e.g. The sound [sh] is fairly common in English, the sound [zh] is not, in a case of ambiguity between them, resolve to [sh].
In case of ambiguity between voiced and voiceless sounds, resolve to a voiced sound, e.g. if you're not sure if the infant babbled [bababa], or [papapa], disambiguate to @nl bababa.
If a single sound deviates from a progression of sounds, resolve to the same sound, e.g. [bababa?a] resolve to @nl bababababa unless the sound is clearly different.
Pay attention to consonants, less to vowels - vowels are messy and difficult, code vowels as approximations, try to disambiguate consonants. Resolve vowel ambiguities to the nearest simple vowel. Resolve vowels to a simple five vowel transcription (a, e, i, o, u) of the closest approximate vowel. Use the letter Q to transcribe schwa (like in the word uh-oh, or in the word duh!) e.g. qoh, dq. Note: Do transcribe diphthongs. Use the letter Y (as per ARPAbet) to transcribe the part of the diphthong, both in initial and final position [ay] [oy] etc'
Collapse the vowel transcriptions as per the examples in the table below
A
balm
B AA M
bam
A
bat
B AE T
bat
A
butt
B AH T
bat
A
bout
B AW T
bot
O
caught
K AO T
kot
O
boat
B OW T
bot
U
book
B UH K
buk
U
boot
B UX T
but
U
dude
D UX D
dud
I
bird
B ER D
bid
I
bit
B IH T
bit
I
beat
B IY T
bit
E
bet
B EH T
bet
Similarly, use the following table for examples of transcribing diphthongs
AY
bite
OY
boy
EY
bait
Count the number of syllables and add them to the SYL tier.
Important! Note on coding words.
We use a stringent definition of what is or is not a word. If you're not sure of something is, or is not, a word, refer to two things:
The child repeats the form consistently, in an appropriate context, approaching adult phonology (e.g. the child says something that sounds like 'yeah' in response to a question)
The adult confirms the word (e.g. the child says 'tiddle' and the adult says 'yes, that's a turtle'.)
In other cases, code the LEX tier as 0. and proceed to transcribe the utterance as a babble.
When you do encounter a word (something that is coded as W in the LEX tier) transcribe it as a word (that is, without the @nl, and not phonologically, but as the adult rendition of the word).
Training
Go over the ARPAbet page and the tables in the instructions above. Then go here and complete exercises 1.4 and 1.5 in a file you will share with your mentor. Then transcribe the following paragraph and share it with your mentor:
We bought them a contraption called “Tent City”. Set it up in the garden for Mia. I thought she’d be afraid of the tunnel that joins the two tents. But none of it! She sized it up for a moment. Then she was in like a flash, crawling and giggling. Then she tried to stand up. That was hilarious. She was too tall. She couldn’t figure this out. Very confusing. In the end, she sat in the wigwam with her plastic picnic basket and pretended to eat biscuits and drink out of the cups. I’m just a tad worried that André will spoil it. He’s so much bigger and rougher. I’m afraid he’ll tear something, snap one of the frames. We shall see! He’s coming at the weekend.
Go into the ACLEW tutorials (you may use the already filled out version of your ACLEW training files once you've passed your Gold Standard tutorials). Use the 0-7 and 08-18 files. Transcribe the CHI utterances according to the training rules above.
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