An attempt to standardize the transcription of spoken language. Researchers who study discourse must frequently transcribe a variety of paralinguistic dimensions to document the ways in which utterances are spoken. However, there are a large number of such underlying dimensions, and researchers have developed different transcription systems to describe them. The purpose of this article is to offer a model transcription system, based on a 5-year survey of the systems employed in articles appearing in Discourse Processes. A relatively small number of dimensions can account for most of the phenomena that have been of interest to discourse researchers. The proposed system, which is based on a set of 7 design principles, is offered as a model for use in research and publication.