ELAN - Linguistic Annotator

version 4.6.0

This manual was last updated on 2013-05-13

The latest version can be downloaded from: http://tla.mpi.nl/tools/tla-tools/elan/

Original Author: Birgit Hellwig

Updates for version 2 and higher: Dieter Van Uytvanck

Updates for version 3.2.0 and higher: Micha Hulsbosch

Updates for version 4.0.0: Aarthy Somasundaram and Micha Hulsbosch

Updates for version 4.1.0: Maddalena Tacchetti and Aarthy Somasundaram

Updates for version 4.1.1 and higher: Aarthy Somasundaram

Updates for version 4.4.0 and higher: Jeroen Geerts


Table of Contents

Introduction
Notation Conventions
Recent changes to this manual
I. Getting started
1. Installation
2. Selecting a user interface language
3. Consulting the manual and website
II. USER'S GUIDE
4. ELAN documents
Basic Information: Media Files and Annotation Files
How to manage documents
Creating a new document
Set the author of a document
Synchronizing video files
Opening an existing document
Re-open recently accessed files
Switching between multiple files
Saving a document
Saving a selection as .eaf file
Merging transcriptions
Saving a template
Changing the links to media files
Creating automatic backups
Printing
Configuring the page settings (page setup)
Previewing the printed pages
Opening a wave file in Praat
Exporting a selection to a wave file with Praat
Closing a file
Exiting ELAN
Import and Export options
Import from
Export as
Screen display and navigation through a document
Basic Information: The ELAN window
The Video Viewer
The Annotation Density Viewer
The Waveform Viewer
The Subtitle Viewer
The Grid Viewer
The Text Viewer
The Lexicon Viewer
The Metadata Viewer
Audio And Video Recognizer
The Timeline Viewer and the Interlinear Viewer
The Timeseries Viewer
The Menu options
The Media Player options
The color coding
Increasing/decreasing the size of the ELAN window
Switching Viewers on/off
Show / Hide Specific Viewers
Increasing/decreasing the size of Viewers
Switching tiers on/off
Rearranging the order of tiers
View tiers by Type/Participant/Annotator
Sorting tiers
Changing the time zoom
Changing the vertical (intensity) zoom
Changing the font size
Font Browser
Editing preferences
Importing and exporting preferences
Editing shortcuts
How to copy current time of the media
How to navigate through a document
Accessing points in time
Going to the borders of a selection
Jumping step by step through a document
Viewing a list of annotations within one tier (Grid Viewer)
Jumping from annotation to annotation (Interlinear Viewer)
How to play a document
Playing a document
Playing a selection
Playing around a selection
Playing in slow motion
Changing playback rate and volume via the keyboard
Multiple File Operations
How to select multiple files
Multiple file import options
Multiple file export options
Editing multiple files
5. Annotations
Basic Information: Annotations, tiers and linguistic types
Data categories
How to define a linguistic type
Adding new linguistic types
Creating linguistic types
Changing linguistic types
Deleting linguistic types
Importing linguistic types
Associating a linguistic type with a Data Category
How to define a tier and its attributes
Adding new tiers
Importing tiers
Creating a tier using the Audio Recognizer
Changing tier attributes
Deleting tiers
Merging tiers
Merging tier groups
Changing the parent of a tier
Add New Participant
Controlled Vocabularies
The creation of a CV
Associating a CV entry with a Data Category
Importing an existing CV
Using an External CV
Exporting a CV
Using CV's
Associating a linguistic type with Controlled Vocabularies
Consulting a Lexicon
Setting up a Lexicon Service
Set the Lexicon Service and entry field information for a Linguistic Type
Perform a Lexicon Lookup
How to make a selection
Making a selection on an independent tier
Selecting multiple annotations
Using the selection controls
Creating annotation units without gaps
Making and saving a selection on a referring tier
Deselecting a selection
Changing the boundaries of an existing selection and annotation
Shifting annotations
Activating and deactivating the Bulldozer mode or Shift mode
How to enter annotations
Entering annotations (into the Inline Edit box)
Entering annotations (into the Edit Annotation box)
Entering annotations from a Controlled Vocabulary
Entering annotations before/after other annotations
Creating depending annotations for a active annotation
Creating annotations on dependent tiers
Creating annotations from gaps
Creating regular annotations
Duplicating annotation values
Snap Annotations
Automatic labelling and numbering
Modifying the content of annotations
Moving annotations to another tier
Changing the case of Annotations
Deleting annotation values
Deleting annotations
Deleting annotations and annotation values on multiple tiers
Split Annotations
Merging annotations
Entering annotations in different character sets
Associating an annotation with a Data Category
How to create annotation units on dependent tiers
How to filter and copy tiers
Filtering tiers
Copying tiers
How to detect annotation overlaps
Creating annotations from overlaps
Comparing annotators
Create Annotation By subtraction
Copy and paste annotations
Copy annotation
Paste annotation
Paste annotation here
Copy and paste annotation groups
Duplicate annotation
Synopsis
How to undo an action
Information about annotations
Annotations Spreadsheet
Annotations Statistics
6. Working modes
Annotation mode
Synchronization mode
Transcription mode
Selecting the tier types for transcription
Selecting tiers for transcription
Show or Hide tiers
Change color of tiers
Change color of tiers
Making tiers non-editable
Entering text for a annotation
Merging annotations
Modifying annotations
Shortcut keys used in this mode
Segmentation mode
Configuring the behavior of the segmentation keystroke
Editing annotations
Merging annotations and splitting annotations
Step-and-Repeat playback mode
Keyboard shortcuts
7. Searching
Searching in a single annotation file
Advanced searching: an example
Displaying search results
The search history
Refining a search
Saving and loading queries
Exporting the search results
Search and replace
Jumping from the search results to annotations
Searching through multiple annotation files
Structured search through multiple annotation files
Substring Search Tab
Single Layer Search tab
Multiple Layer Search tab
Search and replace in multiple annotation files
8. Help
9. Reference guide
The mouse options
Resizing Viewers
Rearranging the order of tiers
Make a tier the active tier
Accessing points in time
Playing a document
Making a selection
Adding/modifying an annotation
The shortcut keys
File options
Playing a document & making selections
Working with annotations
Copy and paste
Working with selections
Searching
General
Key concepts of ELAN
Annotation file (*.eaf)
Media file (*.mpg, *.mov, *.wav etc.)
Annotation
Tier
A. REGULAR EXPRESSION SEARCH
Character Classes
Line terminators
Groups and capturing
Comparison to Perl 5

List of Figures

4.1. File menu
4.2. The New Transcription dialog window: media
4.3. The New Transcription dialog window: templates
4.4. Synchronizing video files: Offset of player 1
4.5. Synchronizing video files: Offset of player 2
4.6. Shift all annotations
4.7. Open dialog window
4.8. Error message: no eaf file
4.9. Locate media file
4.10. Windows dropdown menu
4.11. Save selection as .eaf file
4.12. Save As Dialog
4.13. Merge transcriptions dialog window
4.14. Merge transcriptions dialog window
4.15. Open new transcription
4.16. Linked files dialog window
4.17. Automatic backup
4.18. Printing
4.19. Page setup
4.20. Print preview
4.21. Font sizes
4.22. Print preview after changes
4.23. Opening a wave pattern in Praat
4.24. Save on exit
4.25. Exit behavior
4.26. Import FLEx file
4.27. FLEx to ELAN structure
4.28. Tab-delimited Text
4.29. Import CSV / Tab-delimited Text
4.30. Tab-delimited text, different orientation
4.31. Import CSV / Tab-delimited Text
4.32. Database type properties dialog window
4.33. Import Shoebox file
4.34. Set Shoebox/Toolbox field markers
4.35. Store markers
4.36. Shoebox field markers and ELAN tiers
4.37. Multiple speakers in ELAN
4.38. Time Subdivision
4.39. Fixed time intervals
4.40. Time alignment
4.41. Tier Selection panel in most of the dialogs
4.42. Toolbox Export dialog window
4.43. ELAN file and exported Toolbox file
4.44. Export FLEx file step 1
4.45. Export FLEx file step 2
4.46. Export FLEx file step 3
4.47. Export Chat file
4.48. Export as tab-delimited text dialog window
4.49. Tab-delimited text
4.50. Maximum line width
4.51. Export as HTML
4.52. Export Transcript Text
4.53. Export SMIL Real Player
4.54. Change subtitle text settings
4.55. Export as Subtitles text
4.56. Tiers for AVATech recognizers
4.57. An exported filmstrip image
4.58. Exporting to a filmstrip image
4.59. Shoebox Export dialog window
4.60. Name and directory of exported file
4.61. File Exists
4.62. ELAN file and exported file
4.63. The ELAN window
4.64. The video viewer
4.65. Video information dialog window
4.66. Annotation density viewer
4.67. The waveform viewer
4.68. Waveformviewer modes
4.69. The subtitle viewer
4.70. Display multiple tiers as a subtitle
4.71. The grid viewer
4.72. Multiple tiers with symbolic association in the grid viewer
4.73. Export from the grid viewer
4.74. The text viewer
4.75. The timeline viewer
4.76. The ELAN window with timeline/interlinear viewer
4.77. The tier name panel
4.78. Linking timeseries data files
4.79. Timeseries Viewer popup menu
4.80. Timeseries Viewer: Configure tracks
4.81. Timeseries viewer in the main window
4.82. The media player options
4.83. Timecode formats
4.84. Color coding
4.85. Changing size of the timeline viewer
4.86. Changing the size of the tier label panel
4.87. Switching tiers on/off
4.88. Rearranging the order of tiers
4.89. Visible Tiers
4.90. Changing time zoom
4.91. Changing vertical (intensity) zoom
4.92. Changing the font size
4.93. Font Finder-Explorer
4.94. Edit preferences
4.95. Edit preferences
4.96. Edit preferences
4.97. Edit KeyBoard Shortcuts
4.98. Click the timecode box
4.99. Use the crosshair
4.100. Set Frame Length menu
4.101. The grid viewer
4.102. Structure of the grid viewer
4.103. Grid viewer with context menu
4.104. Grid viewer with selected annotations
4.105. Interlinear viewer
4.106. Play/pause button
4.107. Play around selection
4.108. Playback rate
4.109. Multiple file selection dialog
4.110. File selection
4.111. Save as Settings
4.112. Import Settings
4.113. Save as Settings
4.114. Import Settings
4.115. Save as Settings
4.116. Export as Toolbox file step 1
4.117. Export as Toolbox file step 2
4.118. Save as Settings
4.119. Export as FLEx file step 1
4.120. Export as FLEx file step 2
4.121. Element-item type and language attrib.
4.122. Save as Settings
4.123. Exporting by selecting tiers
4.124. Create transcription files for multiple media files Dialog
4.125. Multiple File Editor
4.126. Transcription Scrubber
5.1. Annotation basics
5.2. Tier dependencies
5.3. Tier dependencies in the timeline viewer
5.4. Examples of the four stereotypes
5.5. Local Data Category Selection
5.6. Remote DCR
5.7. Local Data Category Selection: Result
5.8. Add a linguistic type
5.9. Change a linguistic type
5.10. Delete a linguistic type
5.11. Linguistic type is used
5.12. Local Data Category Selection
5.13. Tier attributes
5.14. Import tiers
5.15. Audio Recognizer
5.16. Audio Recognizer detached
5.17. Audio Recognizer results
5.18. Timeline context menu
5.19. Change tier attributes
5.20. Tier menu
5.21. Timeline context menu
5.22. Delete tier
5.23. Deleting tier confirmation
5.24. Dependent to independent tier
5.25. Add New Participant
5.26. Warning dialog box
5.27. Add New Participant Example 1
5.28. Add New Participant Example 2
5.29. Add New Participant tooltip result
5.30. Edit controlled vocabulary
5.31. Local Data Category Selection
5.32. Controlled vocabulary already exists warning
5.33. Controlled vocabulary drop down box
5.34. Change linguistic type
5.35. Edit Lexicon Services
5.36. Name and Lexicon Service Info
5.37. Lexicon Selection
5.38. Previously defined services
5.39. Select a Lexicon Service and Entry Field
5.40. The Lexicon Entry tab
5.41. Making a selection
5.42. Change selection
5.43. Crosshair on begin of selection
5.44. Selection mode
5.45. Back one second
5.46. Selection mode off
5.47. Annotation without gaps (steps 1-3)
5.48. Annotation without gaps (step 4)
5.49. Annotation without gaps (step 5)
5.50. A selection on referring tier
5.51. Select annotation unit
5.52. Region for modified annotation
5.53. Modify annotation time
5.54. Annotation length changed
5.55. Changing selection boundaries by mouse
5.56. Shift annotations
5.57. Normal mode
5.58. Bulldozer mode
5.59. Shift mode
5.60. Inline Edit box
5.61. Select character set
5.62. Edit annotation
5.63. Select language
5.64. The suggest panel
5.65. Subdividing annotation
5.66. New annotation after
5.67. Create annotations on dependent tiers
5.68. Regular Annotations
5.69. Label and Numbering annotations
5.70. Delete annotations or annotations values
5.71. Merge annotations
5.72. ipa-96 keyboard map
5.73. Arabic keyboard map
5.74. Roman typographic root
5.75. Non-letter symbols
5.76. Diacritics
5.77. Chinese characters
5.78. Keyman
5.79. Ukelele
5.80. Local Data Category Selection: Annotation
5.81. Tokenize tier
5.82. Tokenization
5.83. Source and destination tier
5.84. Filter tier
5.85. Create annotations from overlaps
5.86. Overlaps Computation Criteria
5.87. Annotation Value Constraint
5.88. Destination Tier Name Specification
5.89. Destination Tier Value Specification
5.90. Subtract Computation Criteria
5.91. Destination Tier Value Specification
5.92. Copying a annotation group
5.93. Synopsis copy and paste annotations
5.94. Annotations Statistics
5.95. Tiers statistics
5.96. Sort order statistics
6.1. Synchronization of video, audio and timeseries files
6.2. Settings Dialog
6.3. Tier Structure
6.4. Select Tiers Dialog
6.5. Context Menu
6.6. Context Menu
6.7. Context Menu Tier
6.8. Context Menu Color
6.9. Context Menu Apply
6.10. Context Menu
6.11. Context Menu Tier
6.12. Context Menu Color
6.13. Context Menu Apply
6.14. Transcription Window
6.15. Transcription Window without showing the tier names
6.16. Context Menu for a Annotation
6.17. Segmentation mode
6.18. The mouse over an annotation
6.19. The context menu
6.20. Step and Repeat configuration
7.1. Search dialog
7.2. Find with constraints
7.3. Find sequences
7.4. Advanced searching example
7.5. Search results
7.6. Search history
7.7. Refining a search
7.8. Saving a query
7.9. Exported search results
7.10. Export search results
7.11. Search and replace
7.12. From search results to annotations
7.13. Searching through multiple annotation files
7.14. Searching through multiple annotation files: result
7.15. Search eaf files
7.16. Substring Search Results
7.17. Hit in transcription
7.18. Frequency View
7.19. Single Layer Search
7.20. Variable Match
7.21. Minimal Duration
7.22. Multiple Layer query
7.23. Alignment View

List of Tables

4.1. Media Controls
4.2. Selection Controls
4.3. Annotation Controls
4.4. Selection Mode
4.5. Sort tier options
5.1. Nested tier dependencies
5.2. Linguistic type stereotypes
5.3. Change parent of tier wizard
5.4. Diacritics
7.1. Annotation example
A.1. Characters
A.2. Character classes
A.3. Predefined character classes
A.4. POSIX character classes (US-ASCII only)
A.5. Classes for Unicode blocks and categories
A.6. Boundary matchers
A.7. Greedy quantifiers
A.8. Reluctant quantifiers
A.9. Possessive quantifiers
A.10. Logical operators
A.11. Back references
A.12. Quotation
A.13. Special constructs (non-capturing)