Special Characters
Status: Current Last updated: 2026-03-30 13:40 EDT
CHAT transcription uses many Unicode symbols that are not available on a standard keyboard – overlap markers, prosody arrows, IPA-adjacent characters, and specialized punctuation. The extension provides a compose-key system for inserting these characters without memorizing Unicode codepoints or relying on system input methods.
How Compose Mode Works
- Press the compose shortcut to enter a mode:
- Cmd+Shift+1 (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+1 (Windows/Linux) for CA mode (Conversation Analysis symbols)
- Cmd+Shift+2 (macOS) / Ctrl+Shift+2 (Windows/Linux) for CHAT mode (CHAT-specific symbols)
- A status bar indicator appears showing the active compose mode (e.g., “CA Char…” or “CHAT Char…”).
- Press the trigger key corresponding to the symbol you want to insert.
- The Unicode symbol is inserted at the cursor position, and compose mode deactivates.
- Press Escape at any time to cancel without inserting anything.
(SCREENSHOT: Status bar showing compose mode active) Capture this: press Cmd+Shift+1 in a .cha file. The status bar at the bottom of the VS Code window should show a “CA Char…” indicator. Capture the status bar region.
This compose-key system is ported from the CLAN macOS application’s CharToSpChar() function, so researchers familiar with CLAN’s character input will find the same key mappings.
CA Mode Characters (Cmd+Shift+1)
Conversation Analysis notation uses specialized Unicode symbols for prosody, overlap, voice quality, and other phonetic features. After pressing Cmd+Shift+1, press one of the following keys:
| Key | Symbol | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | ⇗ | North-east arrow | Rise to high |
2 | ↗ | Up-right arrow | Rise to mid |
3 | → | Rightward arrow | Level pitch |
4 | ↘ | Down-right arrow | Fall to mid |
5 | ⇘ | South-east arrow | Fall to low |
[ | ⌈ | Left ceiling | Overlap start (first speaker) |
] | ⌉ | Right ceiling | Overlap end (first speaker) |
{ | ⌊ | Left floor | Overlap start (second speaker) |
} | ⌋ | Right floor | Overlap end (second speaker) |
. | ∙ | Bullet operator | Inhalation |
= | ≈ | Almost equal | Latching (no gap between turns) |
0 | ° | Degree sign | Softer / quieter speech |
) | ◉ | Fisheye | Louder speech |
w | ∬ | Double integral | Whisper |
s | ∮ | Contour integral | Singing |
b | ♋ | Cancer sign | Breathy voice |
* | ⁎ | Low asterisk | Creaky voice |
/ | ⁇ | Double question mark | Unsure / uncertain transcription |
Overlap Markers
The four overlap bracket symbols (⌈ ⌉ ⌊ ⌋) mark the boundaries of overlapping speech between two speakers. In CA transcription:
- Speaker A’s overlap is marked with ceiling brackets: ⌈overlapping words⌉
- Speaker B’s overlap is marked with floor brackets: ⌊overlapping words⌋
Prosody Contours
The five numbered keys (1-5) map to pitch contour arrows arranged from highest to lowest, matching standard CA prosody notation conventions.
CHAT Mode Characters (Cmd+Shift+2)
CHAT format uses additional special characters for phonological notation, grouping, and morphological analysis. After pressing Cmd+Shift+2, press one of the following keys:
| Key | Symbol | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
q | ʔ | Glottal stop | IPA glottal stop |
Q | ʕ | Pharyngeal fricative | Hebrew glottal (pharyngeal) |
: | ː | Triangular colon | Long vowel (IPA length mark) |
H | ʰ | Superscript h | Aspiration marker |
< | ‹ | Single left angle quote | Group start |
> | › | Single right angle quote | Group end |
{ | 〔 | Left tortoise shell bracket | Sign group start |
} | 〕 | Right tortoise shell bracket | Sign group end |
1 | ˈ | Modifier letter vertical line | Primary stress |
2 | ˌ | Modifier letter low vertical line | Secondary stress |
m | … | Horizontal ellipsis | Missing word (used on %pho tier) |
/ | ↫ | Leftward arrow with loop | Left arrow with circle |
= | ≠ | Not equal | Crossed equal sign |
Tips
- One character at a time: Compose mode deactivates after each character insertion. To insert multiple special characters in sequence, press the compose shortcut again before each one.
- Mode confusion: If you are unsure which mode you are in, check the status bar indicator. Press Escape to cancel and start over.
- System input methods: On macOS, you can also use the built-in Character Viewer (Ctrl+Cmd+Space) as an alternative for occasional use. The compose-key system is faster for frequent transcription work.
Related Chapters
- Syntax Highlighting – how special characters are colored in the editor
- Code Completion & Snippets – bracket annotations that contain some of these symbols
- Quick Fixes – automatic corrections for common CHAT errors