Question

What type of transcription is enclosed in square brackets [ ]?

• A. Phonemic transcription
• B. Orthographic transcription
• C. Phonetic transcription
• D. Morphemic transcription

Answer 1

Answer:

C. Phonetic transcription

The type of transcription enclosed in square brackets [ ] is phonetic transcription.

Explanation:

• Phonetic transcription represents the precise pronunciation of sounds, including fine details such as aspiration, nasalization, and allophonic variations.

• Square brackets [ ] are used to indicate actual speech sounds, not just phonemes.

Example:

Word	Phonemic Transcription (/ /)	Phonetic Transcription ([ ])
"pin"	/pɪn/	[pʰɪn] (aspirated [pʰ])
"butter" (AmE)	/ˈbʌtər/	[ˈbʌɾɚ] (flap [ɾ], rhotic [ɚ])
"think"	/θɪŋk/	[θɪ̃ŋk] (nasalized vowel [ɪ̃])

Since phonetic transcription shows more detail, it is useful for linguistic analysis, speech research, and pronunciation studies.