ELAN Exercise 3

Exercise 3 Creating a two-language basic transcript

Overview

In this exercise, we will learn to make a very basic two-language ELAN file. By two languages, we mean a language spoken in the audio or video recording plus a translation language (as opposed to two different languages being spoken in the recording). By basic, we mean that utterances are given at the sentence level (as opposed to being broken down into smaller units or with any kind of linguistic or analytical information).

Today’s files are found in the folder called: 710-spr-farming or 710-asl-conversation.

Step one: Create a new ELAN file.

Follow the directions ELAN Exercise 1 for creating a new ELAN file, but use today’s file: 710-pse-in-laws.wav or 710-asl-conversation.

Step two: Define linguistic types.

For this file we now need two different linguistic types. The first type is for the top-level parent tier that is associated directly with the timeline.

1. Follow the directions from the last exercise to rename ELAN’s default type to something a little nicer, like text. This will be the type we use for tiers that contain the actual words the speaker in the recording is saying.

Now we need another type that we haven’t used before. We need a type that will be used for tiers that contain free translations of the content of their parent tiers.

2. Go to Type \(>\) Add New Linguistic Type This brings up the Add Type dialog box, which works like the other boxes we’ve already seen. In the first input box in the lower half, insert the name of our new type, something like translation. Notice that calling this type translation means we can use it for translation of units of any size, like the Intonation Units in this lesson, or morpheme-level glosses in the next lesson.

3. In the Stereotype drop-down menu, select Symbolic Association. This tells ELAN essentially what was stated above, that tiers using this type are symbolic representations of the contents of their parent tiers (they are second-language translations of the actual words on the recording). For now you can leave the other settings as they are (Use Controlled Vocabulary = None, ISO Data Category = blank, References to graphics Allowed = unchecked).

Time alignable

Notice that the Time-alignable check-box becomes unchecked. This is correct, because this linguistic type is not associated directly to the time line of the audio stream.

4. Click Add to add this type to our list of defined types, and then click Close to close the dialog box.

Step three: Define tiers.

For this exercise, we’ll need just two tiers: one parent tier, linked directly to the timeline to contain the original language transcription, and one child tier, linked to its parent, to contain the translation. Remember that ELAN’s default tier is a parent tier.

5. Follow the directions from Exercise 1 to rename the default tier. You can choose to call it ‘Saparua text’ or ‘ASL text’ and set the Participant name to ‘Ali’, or you can simply name the tier ‘Ali’. Under the Default Language menu, for now you can leave ‘English’ selected, even though the contents of this tier are Saparua and not English. This menu is used for languages with non-Roman orthographies, or for IPA symbols.

6. Now you need to create a tier for the translation. Either click the Add tab or go to Tier \(>\) Add New Tier. In the Tier Name box, put in a name for your translation tier. It can be something like ‘English translation’ or ‘English free translation’. Now go to the Parent Tier drop-down menu. You’ll see the name of your parent tier there–go ahead and select it. This tells ELAN that your ‘English translation’ tier is a child of the tier called ‘Saparua text’. Notice that if you filled in a Participant name for your parent tier, it’s automatically filled in for you now.

7. Also notice that ELAN has automatically selected translation as the Linguistic Type for this tier. That is correct.

8. Click Add to add your tier, and then click Close to close the dialog box.

Step four: add annotations.

9. Add the first annotation to the ‘Saparua text’. You will see that adding annotations on the parent tier is the same as the previous exercises.

10. Try adding an annotation to the ‘English translation’ of the first line. Double click on the ‘English translation’ tier just below the first Saparua annotation. Even if that portion of the wave form is no longer selected (blue), a text box will open up that is directly under the parent annotation. It has the same starting and ending times as the parent. This is because the linguistic type we used for this tier tells ELAN to link it to its parent tier, rather than to the time line of the audio stream. Try as you might, you won’t be able to change the start and end times to be different from the parent annotation.

11. Now go through the entire audio file and transcription, and add the Saparua and English annotations. Don’t forget to save the file when you’re done.

Adding Indonesian translations

Using the text file 710-spr-farming, now add a second translation tier for Indonesian translations. Did you create a second tier type for Indonesian translation? Why or why not?