What is a CHA file?
A CHA file is a user settings file created by the IRC clients such as mIRC. It contains parameters such as the server, port, channel name and, optionally, a password for opening an IRC channel. IRC clients are used to communicate with others on the IRC networks around the world. These are used for one-to-one private discussions or in multi-group conferences. When a CHA file is clicked, the IRC client automatically opens with the details mentioned in the file.
Applications that can open CHA files include mIRC and Visual IRC.
CHA File Format
CHA files are stored alongside other installation files of the IRC client. When a user wants to connect to a server and join a channel, he enters the information in the client. This information is stored in the CHA file that can be retrieved at any time.
Key Characteristics of CHA Files
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| File Extension | .cha |
| Plain-Text Foundation | Despite their complexity, CHA files are fundamentally ASCII or UTF-8 text files, ensuring long-term readability and platform independence. This simplicity facilitates manual editing with any text editor while supporting complex structure through consistent formatting rules. |
| Research-Focused Design | Unlike general-purpose transcription formats, CHA was developed specifically for linguistic and psychological research, with features tailored to the needs of academic analysis rather than commercial transcription services. |
| Interoperability Priority | The format emphasizes data exchange between researchers and institutions, with standardized elements that facilitate merging datasets, comparing results across studies, and building large, collaborative corpora. |
| Human-Readable Structure | While software can parse CHA files automatically, their organization remains intuitive for human readers, with clear visual separation between speakers, chronological ordering, and logical grouping of related annotations. |
| Extensibility for Specialized Research | The format’s flexible annotation system allows adaptation to specific research needs, whether studying language acquisition, conversation analysis, dialectology, or clinical linguistics, without altering the core file structure. |
| Longitudinal Study Support | CHA files are particularly well-suited for longitudinal research, as their consistent structure allows direct comparison of the same individual’s language use across multiple recording sessions spanning months or years. |
FAQ
Q1: What software do I need to open and analyze CHA files?
A: You can view CHA files in any text editor, but for full analysis, use specialized tools like CLAN from the CHILDES project or ELAN for multimedia-linked transcripts.
Q2: Can CHA files include multimedia like audio or video?
A: While CHA files themselves are text-only, they often include references to external media files and can be time-aligned with them in compatible software.
Q3: Is the CHA format only for child language research?
A: Though developed for child language studies, CHA is now used for various conversation analysis projects including adult discourse, clinical populations, and endangered language documentation.
Q4: How do CHA files differ from standard subtitle formats like SRT?
A: CHA files contain richer linguistic annotations, speaker metadata, and research-specific coding that subtitle formats lack, making them unsuitable for simple media playback but ideal for analysis.
Q5: CAre there alternatives to the CHA format for conversation transcription?
A: Yes, alternatives include Praat TextGrids for phonetic research, ELAN’s EAF format for multimedia annotation, and TEI XML for digitally preserving and publishing transcripts.
