ABSTRACT
One of the most common ways linguists transform spoken language is when they transcribe it. In order to study the nature of speech we need to be able to freeze it so that we can see more easily what is going on. People other than linguists also transcribe language. Spoken language is transcribed in court to keep records of what is said. Journalists also transcribe what people have said in interviews. When they are preparing a book, writers and oral historians produce written versions of what interviewees say.
