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Working in the lab, how to get started

  1. Contact VanDam to for availability, options
  2. Read Yu & Kuo (2017) about undergraduate research success here
  3. Read VanDam et al (2016), OpenAccess available here
  4. Become familiar with recent published/presented work done in the lab here
  5. Download and install CLAN on a computer you can work on
  6. Read Bernstein-Ratner & Brundage and work through the examples, available here
  7. Access the TalkBank and CLAN tutorials here and complete the sections Introduction, Using the Website, Transcribing, and Linking
  8. Complete responsible research training (middle of the page, here); you will need to generate an electronic image (screen grab, PDF, JPEG, etc.) that verifies you have completed the modules.

If you’re (still) interested, set up a meeting with VanDam (again).  There, you will need the following:

  1. A Google ID to access certain documents
  2. Read the HomeBank Vetting Manual
  3. Here is a template for working with CLAN files; either download it or copy and paste it into a new CHA file.
    Update: we used to use markup that looked like this yyy [=! xxx] in CHAT transcriptions, but a better way looks like this &=vocalizes. So some fragment of a CHAT file might look like this:

    *CHI: &=vocalizes . [+ nc]
*CHI: &=vocalizes . [+ nc]
*CHI: &=vocalizes . [+ nc]
*CHI: &=babbles . [+ c]
*CHI: &=whines . [+ r]
*CHI: &=grunts . [+ nc]
*MOT: let's change your diaper . [+ id]

    Note that there is still a role for [=! xxx]. In cases of phrasal complexity, the transcriber may need to use more detail, including the [=! xxx] format. The distinction between &=action:object and [=! xxx] is one between a point event and some modulation across a scoped event, respectively. Thus, to use notation such as [=! babbles], it should properly follow a scoped item set off in angle brackets like this:

    *CHI:  <yyy a mama> [=! babbles] . [+c]
  4. A copy of successfully completed responsible research training (see (7) above)
  5. Official affiliation, either as employee or student (if you’re a student, you’ll likely need to register for SHS-490 or SHS-590)