Introduction to ELAN
This course introduces learners to the annotation tool Eudico Linguistic Annotator (ELAN), developed at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics and the FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx), a tool to build your own dictionary. ELAN supports transcribing, annotating and visualising audio and video material. It is designed to create layered or tiered transcriptions. The number of annotations is unlimited and can include anything from translation, comments or feature descriptions. ELAN is a free, open-source tool and runs on various operating systems.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, learners will be able to:
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segment audio material with ELAN
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transcribe texts using ELAN and FLEx
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annotate texts using ELAN and FLEx
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create a dictionary in FLEx
Introduction
In this introduction to ELAN and FLEx, you will learn what these tools are, what they are used for, and how they work together. We explore the basic structure of ELAN files, the advantages of using ELAN for transcription, and how FLEx helps you build your own dictionary. You will also see how the two programs can be combined—how you can transfer material between ELAN and FLEx, and how glosses created in FLEx can be imported back into your ELAN transcriptions.
Introduction to ELAN and FLEx
Learning Output
By the end of this video, you will understand the basics of ELAN and FLEx, what their interfaces look like, and how to install and open both programs.
Getting Started with ELAN
The second part of this series shows you how to set up the ELAN file, the tiers for each speaker, and the tier types, and how they look like. Furthermore, you will be provided with information on how to delete and change them, along with how to add descriptions afterwards in order to transfer them to FLEx.
In addition, the video illustrates that when creating tiers you must indicate four things: the tier names, which participant belongs to the tier, whether it has a parent tier, and, if it has one, which one it is and associate it with one of the tier types established before. Then it is demonstrated how to change the position of your tiers and how to save them as a template so they can later be imported for other projects.
Additionally, it is explained how you can play and stop audio in ELAN and how to change the language settings, as well as how the ELAN files should be saved on your device.
Setting up your Tiers in ELAN
Learning Output
After watching this part of the tutorial you will be able to set up an ELAN file by creating and configuring tiers for each speaker, assigning tier types, and understanding how these structures interact. You will also know how to modify, delete, and add tier descriptions so they can be transferred to FLEx. In addition, you will learn which four elements must be specified when creating tiers—tier name, associated participant, parent-tier information, and tier type. You will also be able to reorder tiers and save them as templates for future projects. Finally, you will learn how to play and stop audio files, adjust language settings in ELAN, and correctly save your ELAN files on your device.
Transcribing Data in ELAN
This part of the ELAN tutorial shows you how to add segments and how to transcribe the audio file within these segments. It demonstrates that there are two ways to add segments—either automatically or manually—with this video focusing on the manual method. You learn how to switch between the available display modes in the Options menu, including segmentation mode for creating and modifying segments and transcription mode for transcribing the data. The video introduces the three tiers relevant in segmentation mode: the interlinear title tier, the transcription tier for speaker A, and the transcription tier for speaker B.
Furthermore, the tutorial shows how to set segmentation boundaries, play and stop the media file, add segmentation units for each speaker, and create annotations in annotation mode. It also explains how to add titles in the interlinear title tier, how to save the ELAN file and how to check whether your annotations are accurate and properly aligned with the utterances, as well as how to adjust them if they are not. You also learn how to copy the segments created in your transcription tiers to all other dependent tiers so that transcription can begin in the newly created annotation units.
Afterwards, the video demonstrates how transcriptions can be added in annotation or transcription mode—preferably in transcription mode—and how to select a font size, the number of columns and the tier types for these columns. It also explains how transcriptions and translations can be added in the segments associated with the audio file, how to adjust the volume and playback speed, and, once the transcriptions and translations are added, how to automatically create the Words tier and the Participant Note tier, both of which are required for FLEx, including how they should be labelled.
Adding Segments and Transcription
Learning Output
After watching this part of the tutorial you will be able to manually create segments in ELAN, switch between segmentation and transcription modes, and add, adjust and align annotations within these segments. You will also be able to create and manage multiple tiers, copy segmentation structures to dependent tiers and add transcriptions and translations using appropriate formatting settings. In addition, you will understand how to adjust audio playback, create the Words and Participant Note tiers needed for FLEx and correctly label and prepare your ELAN file for further linguistic processing.
Searching your Data in ELAN
In this part of the tutorial, you learn about the search function in ELAN and how to look for specific features in your data. In more detail, it is shown how to jump to the location of a word’s occurrence within your file. A box called Search Dialogue will open, where you can look for words on all tiers or only on selected tiers. To continue your search with another word, you click on the word you have just looked at. By clicking on any item in the list, you will automatically jump to the location of its occurrence within your file. The tutorial also explains that, under Help, you can add certain characters to further refine your search.
Searching Features in your Transcriptions
Learning Output
After watching this part of the tutorial you will be able to use ELAN’s search function to locate specific words and features within your data, search across all tiers or selected tiers and navigate directly to each occurrence. You will also be able to refine your searches using regular expressions and special characters, allowing you to capture extended patterns such as words preceded by other elements, including definite articles.
Exporting your Data from ELAN
This part of the tutorial teaches you how to export the data from ELAN to Editor/Word or FLEx and that you have the option to choose which tiers you want to be shown in the document. Additionally, it shows you how to add the time codes for each utterance or annotation unit.
Exporting to Word/Editor and FLEx
Learning Output
After watching this part of the tutorial you will be able to export your ELAN data to Editor/Word or FLEx, select which tiers should appear in the exported document and add time codes for each utterance or annotation unit.
Start your Own Dictionary
The final part of this series shows you how to begin and compile your own dictionary using the program FLEx. It explains how to start a project, name it, and select the vernacular language corresponding to your audio or video file. The video demonstrates how to import the ELAN file into FLEx, how to change the interface language, and how to choose the appropriate view mode.
You also learn how to add glosses and grammatical information to each word, how to navigate between the text-and-word section and the lexicon section, and how to add glosses to words consisting of more than one morpheme, including how to insert morpheme breaks. Furthermore, the tutorial shows how FLEx can facilitate the glossing process and notes that all files are saved automatically within the program.
Gloss your Texts in FLEx
Learning Output
After watching this part of the tutorial you will be able to create and set up a new project in FLEx, import your ELAN data and configure the vernacular and interface languages. You will also be able to choose the correct view mode, add glosses and grammatical information, work with multi-morphemic words by inserting morpheme breaks and navigate effectively between the text-and-word section and the lexicon section. In addition, you will understand how FLEx supports the glossing process and how your work is automatically saved.
Download Links
ELAN: https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/download
FLEx: https://software.sil.org/fieldworks/
Selma.wav Selma.mp4Additional Resources
https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/documentation
https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan/thirdparty
https://software.sil.org/fieldworks/help/