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Closed-captioned television presentation speed and vocabulary
C Jensema1, R McCann, S Ramsey
1Institute for Disabilities Research and Training, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
American Annals of the Deaf
|October 1, 1996
Summary
This study analyzed closed-captioned television content, examining caption speed and script editing. Findings reveal average caption speeds of 141 WPM and script edits up to 19%.
Area of Science:
- Media accessibility research
- Linguistics and communication studies
Background:
- Closed-captioned television is crucial for accessibility.
- Analysis of captioning practices provides insights into media production and delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze caption speed and script editing in television programming.
- To identify word frequency and uniqueness in closed captions.
Main Methods:
- Collected and processed caption data from 205 television programs.
- Analyzed caption speed, script editing (0-19%), and word frequency (16,102 unique words).
Main Results:
- Average caption speed was 141 words per minute (WPM), with a range of 74-231 WPM.
- Script editing varied significantly across program types, from 0% to 19% removal.
- A total of 834,726 words were analyzed, revealing 16,102 unique words.
Conclusions:
- Captioning practices exhibit considerable variation in speed and editing.
- Understanding these variations is key for improving caption quality and accessibility.
- The study provides a quantitative basis for future research in television captioning standards.