Why use SALT?

Watch a short video describing how SALT can help you solve five difficult problems.

How SALT Works

Watch a short video outlining the steps, from eliciting a sample to interpreting the results.

Testimonials

Hear from our customers.

Case Study Examples

See how SALT can be used for assessment.

Instructors Request a Desk Copy

Are considering adopting the SALT 2012 Student software and/or textbook for course use? If so, request a complimentary desk copy.

SALT FAQ - Miscellaneous

Q. Does SALT run on a Mac?
A. SALT is a Windows program and does not run on a Mac. There are software programs, however, which allow Macs to run Windows software. SALT has been run successfully using Parallels, Bootcamp, and VMware Fusion. Let us know if you've tried it with any other software programs.
Q. Should we identify the word root associated with irregular past tense forms? e.g., went|go, kept|keep, did|do, don't|do
A. This is a trade off between accuracy and the burden of transcription. We want to keep transcription as simple as possible. In English, there are just a few irregular verbs that are used a lot. We believe that the loss of accuracy is minimal as long as we are consistent. The SALT Reference Database does not identify word roots for the irregular forms.
Q. What if there are some things going on during the session that the transcriber cannot see, but lend to the context of the language sample? For example, the clinician says, "How old are you?" - 3-second pause - "Four? Wow! You're a big kid."
A. Consider the two following transcriptions for this example:

Marked as a pause that ends the examiner's speaking turn. Marked as a nonverbal utterance of the child.
E How old are you?E How old are you?
:  0:03C { assume child responded in some way }.
E Four!E Four!
E Wow!E Wow!
E You/'re a big kid.E You/'re a big kid.

We prefer the transcription on the left where you do not make any assumptions.