How to Begin a New Transcript

Transcript Header Information

• $ Speaker labels

The labels you enter in this section are used to create the $ speaker line at the beginning of the transcript. The target speaker is required. Enter the label you want used for the target speaker. The default label is "Child". You may use the speaker's name if you prefer. The first initial of the label you specify is used to identify the utterances. Enter the labels you want used for all the other speakers in the language sample. The default label is "Examiner" which assumes that there is only one other speaker. If there is more than one other speaker in the transcript, separate the labels with commas. Leave this field blank if the target speaker is the only speaker in the transcript.

The first initial of the labels you specify is used to identify the utterances of that speaker. The "Report Labels" area to the right shows how the reports will be labeled. The $ line that will be created from these labels assumes that the target speaker is the first speaker and the other speakers are grouped together as the second speaker. You may, of course, edit the $ line in the transcript.

• Language

Select the target language of the sample. The default selection is "English". You should change this to "Spanish" when transcribing Spanish samples. If you select "Other" then enter your own language label. This will generate the "+ Language:" entry which may be used to select the default reference database when comparing this sample.


• Target Speaker Information

Enter demographic information about the target speaker in this section of the dialogue box. The target speaker's gender, age, grade and parent education may be used to select the default reference database when comparing this sample.

• Examiner's and Transcriber's Names

You have the option of entering the examiner's name and/or the transcriber's name in this section.

• Sampling Context

Select the sampling context of the language sample. Select conversation for "CON", narration for "NAR", exposition for "EXPO", or select "Other" and enter your own label. This will generate the "+ Context:" information line which may be used to select the default reference database when comparing this sample.

• Subgroup

You have the option of entering a label to identify a subgroup that this language sample belongs to. One use for this label is to identify sampling subgroups. For example, suppose you have a series of narrative transcripts from children telling specific stories. Although they are all narratives, you may want to further identify them by the specific story they are telling. You would create your own label for each story and enter it as the subgroup. When comparing your transcript to a reference database, the subgroup label may be used to automatically select database records matching this subgroup. Information entered here will generate the + Subgroup: entry which may be used to select the default reference database when comparing this sample.

• Location and Collection point

You have the option of entering a label to identify the subject's geographic location. Information entered here will generate the + Location: plus line. You also have the option of entering a label to identify the collection point as a number. Information entered here will generate the + Collect: plus line. When entering multiple transcripts from the same speaker collected at different points in time, use this plus line to indicate the collection point for this transcript. Suppose, for example, that you are collecting language samples from the same speaker every month during the school year, a total of about 8-9 collection points. The first month would be collection point 1, the next month would be collection point 2, etc.

• Other Header Information

If there are other information lines you want inserted at the beginning of the transcript, enter them in the Other Header Information area. If you do not begin each line with a plus sign, the plus sign will be automatically inserted. You may choose, for example, to enter sampling location, other test information, medical data, reason for sampling, etc.

• Initial Clock Time

Enter the initial clock time in minutes and seconds or in hours, minutes, and seconds. The default time is zero, and assumes that you are measuring elapsed time. This information will generate the initial clock time on a line which begins with a hyphen.


• Database used for comparison

SALT uses the sample plus line values to pre-select the most likely database to be used for comparison. The "Default Databases" option in the Setup menu contains the rules governing these pre-selections based on the sample language, context, subgroup and location values. Sometimes, however, the default database may not be the best choice for your sample. If that is the case, use this option to specify the database. Use the Browse button and select the database from the list.

Header Information Inserted at Beginning of Transcript

The information you enter in the header dialog box is inserted at the beginning of the new transcript to create the speaker label line, the identification lines, and the initial timing line. The speaker label line begins with a dollar sign, the identification lines begin with a plus sign, and the initial timing line begins with a hyphen. The example given here is one possibility of what the header information may look like at the beginning of a transcript. Your header will vary depending on what information you filled in. You are now ready to type what was spoken during the language sample.