West1996

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West1996
BibType ARTICLE
Key West1996
Author(s) Candace West
Title Ethnography and Orthography: A (Modest) Methodological Proposal
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Conversation Analysis, Transcription, Ethnography
Publisher
Year 1996
Language English
City
Month
Journal Journal of Contemporary Ethnography
Volume 25
Number 3
Pages 327–352
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/089124196025003002
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

In this article, I make a methodological plea for the utility of transcribing in field research. I begin by noting that, despite much recent talk of the mutual relevance of ethnography and conversation analysis, transcribing has not been addressed as a topic in its own right. I consider the goals of transcribing from a conversation analytic perspective and compare these with the aims of producing field notes. Then, I explicate the process of transcribing, calling attention to problems that arise from conventional procedures for representing talk in texts. Consideration of the difficulties many ethnographers face in attempting to introduce audio and video tape recorders into their field sites leads me to examine the analytical advantages of transcribing with—and without—tape-recorded data.

Notes