The three major components of a CHAT transcript are the file , the main tiers, and the tiers. This quiz will focus on the file headers.

A series of header lines, which provide information such as the date of the recording, participants' names and ages, room layout, and so forth, are located at the very of a CHAT transcript.

CHAT transcription uses types of headers. Header lines that are absolutely necessary in a CHAT transcript are called headers. Without these headers, the CLAN programs will not run correctly. There are only obligatory headers: , , and .

The second type of file headers are called headers. These headers refer to information that is unlikely to change throughout the file and are placed at the of the transcript. Examples of this type of header include @Age and @Filename.

The third type of file headers are called headers because they provide information that varies throughout the file. These headers can be placed anywhere within the body of the transcript. Examples of this type of header include @Activities and @Comment.

A header line begins with the sign and usually includes some additional material, also known as an . Some headers do not require an entry, such as @Begin and @End, and are referred to as headers.

Headers that DO require entries must be followed by a , a space, and then the required entry. The material up to the colon is called by header , while the text that provides the required information is called the header . The header name and the header entry together are called the header . Header lines must never be followed by any final marks, as these are reserved for the actual utterances spoken by the participants.

The very first line in a CHAT transcript must be the header to indicate the start of the transcript.

As the second line in the file, the header line must be entered to list all the actors within the transcript. The for this header is XXX Name Role, XXX Name Role, . . . , XXX Name Role. The XXX stands for the -letter ID. Participants are identified by three elements: their ID, their , and their . If both the first and last name of a participant are to be entered, an should be used between the two names. A fixed set of roles has been programmed into the , the file which lists all the legitimate CHAT symbols; however, new ones may be created by the transcriber. The speaker ID's listed with this header may be used as shortcuts when transcribing.

The entry for a file header, such as @Age of CHI, in which the child's age is indicated, should be typed in the form of ; . such as 2;6.13. The entry for a file header, such as @Birth of CHI and @Date, in which a date is indicated, should be typed in the form of --. The month, abbreviated by the first letters of the month, should be typed in -case letters; and all digits of the year should be entered.

The header lists all dependent tiers used throughout the file and allows for the use of shortcuts when transcribing. The name of the transcript is indicated with the header.

The city, province, and country in which the interaction took place is indicated by the header. The room configuration and positioning of furniture is indicated by the header and the general setting of the interaction is indicated by the header. A very important header for identifying the tape from which the transcription was made is the header.

The only header not placed at the beginning of the transcript is the header. Instead, it is placed at the very end of the transcript and is needed to guarantee that no material is lost at the end of the file.