Noise Interference
Symbol | [<:<. . .> . . .:>]
Definition | Any utterance may interfere with one or more noises which are either produced or caused by the speakers, like or breathing into the microphone, or which are heard in the background (like <#Squeak>, <#Rustle>) A noise, human or non-human, may occur before, after or during a turn element. Only if a noise occurs during a lexical item are carats used to surround both the lexical item and the noise.
Rules for Transcribing the interference marker
| 1. The interference marker [<:<. . .> . . .:>] is transcribed with two sets of carats [<>] and a pair of semi-colons [:]. 2. The noise marker is placed within the first set of carats [<:<#> . . .:>] and the word is placed in the second [<:<#> hi:>]. 3. The only white space within the mark is between the second inner carat and the lexical item. White spaces are also transcribed before and after the mark.
Examples | 1. hi , <<Noise>: Jane:> . 2. do you think <:<#> <#Squeak> that:> will <:<#> work:> ? If more than one lexical item is overlapped by the same noise, each interference has to be marked separately.
| The same applies to articulatory interrupted lexical items: 1. yes , that was <:<Laugh> quite:> <:<Laugh> funny:> 2. <:<#Rustle> fancy_:> +/<:<#Rustle> f=:>/+ <:<#Rustle> _ful:> If a noise interferes with an entire turn, a global comment should be used, rather than each individual element transcribed with a comment.
| If a noise occurs during a reduced word, the comment is placed around all of the full-form words. 1. ah , <:<#Click> got:> <:<#Click> you:><!2 gotcha>. 2. <:<#Rustle> he:> <:<#Rustle> should:> <:<#Rustle> have:> <!2should've>.
| An interference marker may not surround prosodic items (like filled pauses) and other noises. Instead, the noise comment appears prior to these turn elements . 1. No . <#> not again . Note the ambiguity of transcriptions like: Speaker 1: Don't1@ you1@ ? Speaker 2: @1well, <Noise> <P> I am where can refer either to the words uttered by the passively interfered Speaker 1 (in this case the second part of "you") or to a non-verbal articulatory noise produced by Speaker 2.