What is a CHAT file?
A CHAT file is a configuration file used by the IRC (Internet Relay Chat) for connecting to an IRC channel. It contains connection parameters such as server, port, name of the IRC channel, and optionally a password for opening an IRC channel. The settings are used by the client to connect to other channels. The chats and discussions on IRC are one-to-one and are private.
Applications that can open CHAT files include mIRC and Visual IRC.
CHAT File Format
CHAT files are stored as binary files to disc. When a user wants to connect to a channel in IRC, he enters the the informaiton in the iRC client, he enters the information in the client software. The information is stored in the CAHT file for lateral retrieval.
Key Characteristics of CHAT Files
| Characteristic | Description |
|---|---|
| File Extension | .cfm |
| Plain Text Foundation | CHAT files are fundamentally ASCII/UTF-8 text files, ensuring long-term accessibility and platform independence while supporting complex annotation through consistent formatting rules. |
| Community-Driven Standard | Developed and maintained by the research community through the CHILDES/TalkBank project, ensuring the format evolves to meet actual research needs rather than commercial priorities. |
| Analytical-Ready Structure | Unlike general transcription formats, CHAT files are structured specifically for computational analysis, with consistent formatting that enables automated processing without extensive data cleaning. |
| Interoperability Focus | Designed explicitly for data sharing between researchers, institutions, and across disciplines, with standardized elements that facilitate collaborative corpora and comparative studies. |
| Longitudinal Study Optimization | Particularly well-suited for developmental research, with features supporting tracking of individual language development across months or years of recordings. |
| Balance of Standardization and Flexibility | While maintaining core consistency, the format allows customization through project-specific headers, language-specific morphology, and researcher-defined annotation tiers. |
Practical Applications and Legacy
Originally developed within the CHILDES project for studying child language acquisition, the CHA format has expanded to diverse applications including:
- Clinical linguistics analyzing language disorders
- Sociolinguistics examining dialect variation and social factors in speech
- Anthropological research documenting endangered languages
- Conversation analysis studying interaction patterns across cultures
- Computational linguistics training natural language processing systems
The format’s longevity—spanning over three decades of linguistic research—testifies to its effective balance of structure and flexibility. While newer XML-based formats like TEI (Text Encoding Initiative) offer alternative approaches, CHA remains widely used due to its established tool support, researcher familiarity, and proven effectiveness for specific types of linguistic analysis.
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: Are 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.
