ELAN Basics: Layered Transcriptions
- Ben Chung (Unlicensed)
Introduction: Transcription
It may be the case that while working with audio and video, you want to add text and document what is said in your language, with an English equivalent, a French one perhaps too, or breakdown the speech even more finely. This method and task is known as transcription or the systematic (organized) representation of utterances (phrases and words) in a written form.
While not every language has a written form, individuals and language revitalizationists often find it beneficial to have this documentation and written form as an extra level of information and a long-term preservation strategy for future generations.
There are many ways to transcribe, and different methods exist to transcribe different types of speech. Common guidelines and principles of transcribing include the Leipzig Conventions that many linguists use to segment morphemes (meaningful units) in words and sentences also in tiers. In this module, you will learn how to download, configure, and use ELAN software to add layered or tiered transcription over audio-files.
Getting to Know ELAN
ELAN is an annotation tool that can segment and aid in transcribing Indigenous language recordings, both new and old.
ELAN comes from https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/ of the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
The software is a mainstay for linguists who focus on morphology (word formation) and syntax (word order in sentences). Oftentimes, these categories are combined into morpho-syntax, as words can be whole phrases in some languages.
ELAN is free to download, use, and comes in two versions: ELAN and Simple ELAN. In this module, you will focus on how to use ELAN, as it contains more of the features that will be useful for your potential projects. However, the download walkthrough will feature Simple ELAN since the installation process is the same.
In general, downloading and enabling ELAN is manageable task. One of the major roadblocks people may encounter is one's security settings. Be sure to authorize ELAN as an approved download if your computer's security system flags it. If the software is not downloading, check to see if it is being blocked.
Inside ELAN
Once you have successfully downloaded the program, you can enter in and upload the audio or visual files you want to annotate.
After uploading the audio/video that you are going to be working with, you will need to save and enable 'Automatic Backups' for the ELAN file.
Only certain files can be added to ELAN. If you are experiencing trouble uploading a file, confirm it is one of the approved formats: .mpg, .mpeg, .wav, .mp4, .mpg4, .mov, .qt
Once you save the file, it will be a new .eaf file or ELAN EAF Document. And, the 'Automatic Backups' will ensure that the program is regularly saving a backup as an extension (eaf.00X) in the same location as your original audio.
Information on saving and backing up your ELAN files can be found within the module.
Tiers
One of the main content pieces of ELAN is the ability to make different tiers. You can rename and align them in whatever way best suits your project and personal needs like in the image below.
Many language revitalizationists and linguists will have specific tiers made for different types of information they want to jot down (e.g. Part of Speech). Here are some examples of tiers you might think of adding:
Tier | Description | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
Your Language | The transcription of the Indigenous language you are working with in its own orthography (if applicable) |
*This tier is essential! |
Other Language | A translation tier into a different language like English or French |
|
Part of Speech | Grammatical parts of speech of phrases and words |
|
Semantic (or Thematic) roles | The relationships that parts of an utterance play in regard to the verb (e.g. Agent or Instrument) |
|
Speaker | Each speaker in the recording has a tier for when they speak; this tier can be further specialized with what language(s) the participant is speaking (e.g. Speaker: Ben / Language: Catalan & Speaker: Ben / Language: English) |
|
Phonetic transcription | The transcription of speech in a phonetic orthography to document each sound that is being used |
|
Multiple orthographies | The transcription of speech in an alternate orthography or related community writing format |
|
By morpheme | The transcription and segmentation of each meaningful unit of speech, often including roots, suffixes, prefixes and clitics (e.g. affixes) |
|
When you first open your ELAN file, you will have a 'default tier'. You can modify this tier and add new ones by navigating to the 'Tier' tab on the top of the ELAN screen. There it will take you to a new window to edit tiers accordingly.
More information on this process and how to arrange and modify your tiers in the module.
Annotation
Annotation is the next step after making the tiers that you want for your ELAN space.
This process refers to chunking, splicing, and labelling the portions of the tiers relating to the audio where you want to add information: these are your annotations.
To start annotating, the first, most instinctual response is probably to just left-click and then drag to approximately where you want a section to end. This method definitely will get the job done. In short:
Left-click at the beginning of the section you want to isolate
Drag until the end of the section, making sure the interior is highlighted
Double-click within the highlighted portion
You just made an editable segment!
Another option is to use 'Selection Mode'. In this case, you will select this box (see image below) and then:
Left-click at the beginning of the section you want to isolate
Click again where you want the border of the annotation to be
Right-click in the highlighted portion and in the options window, select 'New Annotation Here'
You just made an editable segment!
'Selection Mode' prioritizes selecting annotations over everything else. If you click anywhere in the tiers portion, it will highlight the interior. Remember to uncheck this box after you are finished using it!
What is left to do after you have your annotation is to edit it.
This step is most easily accomplished by right-clicking the annotation you want to edit. The many options at your disposal will be then available, and you can do a variety of functions.
Since ELAN allows you to stack tiers, it is easy to position the same annotations over each other. This way, if you want to show the translation of a word, put a morpheme directly above or below a section of a phrase, or demonstrate how different orthographies might transcribe an utterance, you can!
There is also another method for annotation called Begin-End Time Annotation. This option allows you to input annotations in a table if you know the beginning and end times of the segmentations.
More information on annotation with walkthroughs in the module below.
Inside the Module
Inside the module, you will find more information and detailed steps on how to configure ELAN for your device(s), add and edit tiers, and utilize and arrange annotations.
Link to Interactive Module
Please follow this link to take you to the interactive module:
The essential takeaways from this module that you should at least feel knowledgeable about include:
How to download ELAN
Enable 'Automatic Backups' and save your file
Create and rename tiers
Make and edit annotations (e.g. add text, split, redraw, merge, and delete segmentations)
There is still much to learn about how to use ELAN, including how to add subtitles to videos and navigate through different internal modes for transcription.
In the next ELAN modules, you will explore some of these more complex, technical features that will aid in and enhance your language files and documentation.