ABSTRACT
Words are the basic building blocks of all sentential and discourse structures. By studying the development of word use, we can learn an enormous amount about the growth of syntax, discourse, morphology, and conceptual structure. However, in order to realize the full potential of computational analysis of word usage, we need to follow certain basic rules. In particular, we need to make sure that we spell words in a consistent manner. If we sometimes use the form “doughnut” and sometimes use the form “donut,” we are being inconsistent in our representation of this particular word. If such inconsistencies are repeated throughout the lexicon, computerized analysis will become inaccurate and misleading. One of the major goals of CHAT analysis is to maximize systematicity and minimize inconsistency. In the Introduction, we discussed some of the problems involved in mapping the speech of language learners onto standard adult forms. This chapter spells out some rules and heuristics designed to achieve the goal of consistency for word-level transcription.
