transcription

Forms

transcription f (plural transcriptions)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin trānscrīptiō (“transfer, copy”), a legal term, from trānscrībō (“to copy out, transfer”).^[2][3][4][5] The Latin noun is found among the jurists from the 2nd century for the transfer of property or of a debt, while from the 3rd century it meant the copying of manuscripts.^[6] The TLFi, which dates the French word only from 1518, instead derives it from transcrire on the model of inscrire and inscription.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

French jurists took the word in 1338 for the copying of a legal deed into another register.^[4][3] The TLFi's first record is from 1518, in the cartulary of Cysoing, for the copying of a deed and the copy itself.^[6]

Semantic evolution

From 1558 it was used for copying any text, and for carrying a text from one writing system into another.^[6][4] The Encyclopédie recorded it in 1765 for carrying an account over from one ledger into another.^[6] It became a music term in 1828, for setting a piece for another instrument.^[6][4][5] Transcription phonétique appeared in 1890 in the work of Passy, after transcripsion fonétique in 1888.^[6] Around 1950 it came to mean a written record of what was said or observed,^[4] and in 1964 genetics took the sense of English transcription, a word of the same origin.^[4]

Timeline

• 1338 – Jurists use it for copying a deed into a register.^[4][2]
• 1518 – Found in the cartulary of Cysoing for the copy of a deed.^[6]
• 1558 – Used for copying any text.^[6][3]
• 1765 – The Encyclopédie records the bookkeeping sense.^[6]
• 1828 – Recorded as a music term.^[6][3]
• 1890 – Transcription phonétique appears in Passy's work.^[6]
• c. 1950 – Used for a written record of what was said.^[4]
• 1964 – Taken into genetics from English.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of transcribing, copying out exactly what is already written, and the resulting copy.^[7][6]
2. (law) The copying of a legal deed into an official register so that it is made public: transcription hypothécaire.^[7][6]
3. The writing of the words of one language in another alphabet;^[7][4] transcription phonétique, a notation with one symbol for each sound.^[7][4]
4. (music) The arrangement of a piece for an instrument other than the one it was written for.^[5][6]
5. A written record of what was said: la transcription d'un entretien.^[4]
6. (genetics) The copying of the information of a DNA sequence into RNA.^[4]

Related words

• transcrire
• transcripteur
• transcriptase
• inscription
• translittération
• English transcription

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
3. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
7. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert