Talea: a prototype browser-based annotation tool for language documentation
- Date
- 20 November 2026, 15:15–16:30
- Location
- English Park, 9-3042
- Type
- Seminar
- Lecturer
- Tiago Tresoldi
- Organiser
- Dibyajyoti Jana
- Contact person
- DIBYAJYOTI JANA
- Phone
- 0793383357
- Language
- English
For almost three decades, ELAN and its predecessors have been standard tools for time-aligned annotation in language documentation. In this talk, I will present Talea, an attempt to imagine what such a tool might look like if we started building it today. As with other linguistic softwares I have developed, Talea uses lower-level programming languages and modern web technologies, while running locally in the browser: it is designed to be faster, more stable, and easier to use.
Talea aims to address some familiar difficulties with ELAN, including installation, problems handling media, and the risk of lost edits or corrupted files. The aim is to exchange files between Talea and ELAN with as little friction as possible. Talea also brings together functions often provided by separate programs: semi-automatic transcription and word alignment (e.g., integrated Whisper), interlinear glossing with a lexicon (elements of FLEx), spectrograms with pitch and formant displays (elements of Praat), and searches across tiers and glosses.
Most of the talk will be a live demonstration. The prototype is still at an early stage and has not yet been tested in fieldwork. The talk can be attended online on Zoom.