Sample 1: Spoken – Dialogues – Private – Face-to-face conversations – S1A-032

This sample shows a casual conversation among four friends about English in Trinidad and the USA. The conversation takes place in a car in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad. One of them (speaker B) is a linguist who is recording the conversation. They start to talk about the purpose of the recording, then shift to the topic of what is good English and then make fun of an American accent.

<$A><#>In other words these people are trying to <}><->see uhm<,><O>laughs</O> ah these <.>tr</.> to</-> <=>see</=></}> <}><->how</-><O>laughs</O> <=>how</=></}> we speak if these Trinidadians actually<,> speak any good English <{><[>at all<O>laughs</O></[>
<$B><#><[>Well <}><->as a</-></[></{> <=>as a</=></}> linguist it’s not a <{1><[1>matter of good English<,> <#>It’s</[1> just to build a database cos the <{2><[2>database already</[2> has yeah the British English and the American and even Indian English <{3><[3>and Jamaican English</[3> so they’re now<O>laughs</O>
<$A><#><[1>I know <}><->good or</-> <=>good or</=></}> bad yeah</[1></{1>
<$A><#><[2>Of languages</[2></{2>
<$A><#><[3>Oh</[3>
<$C><#><[3>Mhm mhm</[3></{3>
<$C><#>The people like the students talk about it like it’s a language <#>It’s not a language it’s <{1><[1>just a</[1> pile of rubbish they’re too lazy to speak proper <{2><[2>English and</[2> spell properly <#><{><[>Americans<,></[>
<$A><#><[1>What’s that</[1></{1>
<$A><#><[2>Who’s that</[2></{2>
<$B><#><[>Oh my God<,> Americans</[>
<$C><#><[>People <?>are giving any action</?></[>
<$A><#><[><,>Americans</[></{> <#>Oh my God today in the airport I heard the worst<O>D-laughs</O> <#>Where he was going just now where the man going I trying to remember where he say he going <#>But some town in the south  <#>And he’s like<&>imitating-American-accent</&> <quote>This is the worst airport I’ve ever been in</quote><O>other-speaker-laughs</O><,> <#><quote>This never happen before <#>They want me to pay a thousand dollars for a flight to Florida</quote><&>imitating-American-accent-ends</&> and then <?>he explain that</?> <unclear>words</unclear> big set of money to fly again back to New York <#><&>imitating-American-accent</&>What’s that<,,><&>imitating-American-accent-ends</&><O>others-laugh</O> No it’s <.>ridic</.> it was like oh my God<,><&>imitating-American-accent</&>redneck<&>imitating-American-accent-ends</&>
<$BCD><#><O>laugh</O>
 <$C><#>Oh God
<$A><#><&>imitating-American-accent</&>Hillbilly<&>imitating-American-accent-ends</&>

Markup symbols

<$A>, <$B>, <$C>, etc	speaker ID
<#>	text unit markers (~ sentences)
<,>	short pause (approximately one syllable)
<,,>	longer pause (two syllables and more)
<$A> ... <{> <[> ... </[> ... <$B> ... <[> ... </[> </{> ...	overlaps (two or more speakers talking simultaneously)
<quote> ... </quote>	quotations
<O> laughter </O>	laughter and other paralinguistic utterances
<}> <-> ... </-> <=> ... </=> </}>	repetitions, hesitations, self-corrections
<.> ... </.>	incomplete word
<?> ... </?>	uncertain transcription
<&> … </&>	editorial comments