HUMAINE Emotion Annotation and Representation Language (EARL): Specification

Version 0.4.0, 30 June 2006

^{Attributes common to all emotion elements}

^{Complex Emotion Element <complex-emotion>}

Attributes common to all emotion elements

Attributes shared by all EARL emotion elements (simple or complex). They cover: an optional, unique identifier for each emotion element; the scope of the annotation (i.e., what it refers to); and its modality. Scope is meaningful on highest-level emotion elements only, not on emotion elements embedded in a complex emotion.
Attribute	Type	Use	Documentation
id	xs:ID	optional	unique identifier of the emotion.tag
xlink:href	xs:string	optional	the scope of the emotion element, as a reference (e.g. an XML element ID in the same or another document, or a file name)
start	xs:float	optional	the scope of the emotion element in terms of time – the time where the emotion starts. Usually specified in seconds from the start of the current clip.
end	xs:float	optional	the time where the emotion finishes.
modality	modalityType, i.e. one of: face, voice, body, biosignal, text	optional	indicates the modality through which the emotion is expressed (when labelling) or through which the emotion is to be expressed (when generating).

Samples Element <samples>

The sampling mechanism specifies a list of values taking into account a rate (number of samples per second)
Attribute	Type	Use	Documentation
rate	xs:float	optional	number of samples per second
values	xs:string	optional	it specifies on what the sampling mechanism is applied. For example, dimensions or intensity or regulation, etc.

Simple Emotion Element <emotion>

A “simple” (atomic) emotion can be described in terms of categories, dimensions and/or appraisals. The specification in terms of a category can be complemented by an optional intensity. It can enclose an optional list of <samples> elements. This list of samples elements can be optionally followed by arbitrary XML structures, in particular by plain text. If such a sub-structure (apart from <samples> elements) is present, then this enclosed structure is the scope of the emotion; if the <emotion> element is empty or contains only <samples> elements and white space, then a scope for the emotion must be specified using either the xlink:href reference or start and end times.
Attribute	Type	Use	Documentation
category	categoryType	optional	describe an emotional state in terms of an emotion category. See below for details on the definition of valid category values.
intensity	xsd:float	optional	specifies the intensity of the emotion, between 0 and 1.
[attributes denoting emotion dimensions]	xs:float	optional	describe an emotional state in terms of emotion dimensions. See below for details on the definition of valid dimension attributes. Valid values for dimensions typically range from –1 to 1, even though users may decide to use only the values from 0 to 1 if they consider a dimension to be unipolar rather than bipolar.
[attributes denoting appraisals]	xs:float	optional	describe an emotional state in terms of the appraisals bringing about the emotion. See below for details on the definition of valid appraisal attributes. Valid values for appraisals typically range from –1 to 1, even though users may decide to use only the values from 0 to 1 if they consider an appraisal scale to be unipolar rather than bipolar.
probability	xs:float	optional	the probability that the emotion specification is adequate. In annotation, this corresponds to labeller confidence / classification probability; in generation, to the probability of the state being realised.
[attributes denotin regulation] simulate suppress amplify attenuate	xs:float	optional	indicates that the emotion is not expressed in the same way as it is perceived; some sort of control is excerced by the person, to fulfil some socially motivated expression target.

Sub-elements

Element	Type	Use	Minimum	Maximum	Documentation
samples	sampleType	optional	0	unbounded

<emotion> Examples

Annotating a text:

 <emotion category="pleasure">Hello!</emotion>

Annotating a photo of a face:

 <emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg" category="pleasure"/>

Annotating a time span:

 <emotion start="0.4" end="1.3" category="pleasure"/>

Emotion dimensions:

 <emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg" arousal="-0.2" valence="0.5" power="0.2"/>

Appraisals

 <emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg" suddenness="-0.8" intrinsic_pleasantness="0.7" goal_conduciveness="0.3" relevance_self_concerns="0.7" />

Combining labels:

 <emotion category="pleasure" intensity="0.9" simulate="0.6" modality="face" probability="0.5">Hello!</emotion>

Annotating time-varying signals (Feeltrace: arousal+valence):

 <emotion start="2" end="2.7">
    <samples value="arousal" rate="10">
        0  .1  .25  .4  .55  .6  .65  .66
    </samples>
    <samples value="valence" rate="10">
        0  -.1  -.2  -.25  -.3  -.4  -.4  -.45
    </samples>
 </emotion>

Complex Emotion Element <complex-emotion>

It describes an emotion which is complex in the sense that it is composed of several (>=2), atomic or complex, emotion descriptions. Still, it refers to a single "entity" (reference or start/end time). Only the top level <complex-emotion> element should have a ref or start/end attributes, to reflect the fact that they are jointly attached to a single entity. Typical cases are the co-occurence of two or more emotions, possibly varying in intensity, and regulation attempts, where one emotion may be masked by the simulation of another one.

Sub-elements

Element	Type	Use	Minimum	Maximum	Documentation
emotion	emotionType	optional	0	unbounded
complex-emotion	complexEmotionType	optional	0	unbounded

<complex-emotion> Examples

Ambiguity coded through probability:

 <complex-emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg">
    <emotion category="pleasure" probability="0.5">
    <emotion category="friendliness" probability="0.5">
 </complex-emotion>

Major/minor emotion coded through intensity:

 <complex-emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg">
    <emotion category="pleasure" intensity="0.7" />
    <emotion category="worry" intensity="0.5" />
 </complex-emotion>

A simulated emotion masking a suppressed one:

 <complex-emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg">
    <emotion category="pleasure" simulate="1.0" />
    <emotion category="worry" suppress="1.0" />
 </complex-emotion>

Different emotions in different modalities:

 <complex-emotion xlink:href="face12.jpg">
    <emotion category="pleasure" modality="face" />
    <emotion category="worry" modality="voice" />
 </complex-emotion>

EARL root element <earl>

When EARL annotation is used as a standalone document, the document root node <earl> is used. It groups <emotion> and <complex-emotion> elements, and refers to a namespace.

Sub-elements

Element	Type	Use	Minimum	Maximum	Documentation
emotion	emotionType	optional	0	unbounded
complex-emotion	complexEmotionType	optional	0	unbounded

<earl> Examples

A stand-off annotation of a speech synthesis markup (SSML) document:

The ssml document, doc123.ssml: (note that we need to add “id” attributes to SSML sentence tags to allow for cross-referencing)

<speak xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/10/synthesis" […]>
    <voice gender="female">
        <s id="s1">Why are you so angry today?</s>
    </voice>
    <voice gender="male">
        <s id="s2">I am not angry!!</s>
    </voice>
</speak>

The stand-off annotation document, doc123.earl:

<earl xmlns="http://emotion-research.net/earl/040/default"[…]>
    <emotion xlink:href="doc123.ssml#s1" category="empathy"/>
    <emotion xlink:href="doc123.ssml#s2" category="anger"/>
</earl>

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HUMAINE Emotion Annotation and Representation Language (EARL): Specification

Table of Contents

Attributes common to all emotion elements

Samples Element <samples>

Simple Emotion Element <emotion>

Sub-elements

Complex Emotion Element <complex-emotion>

Sub-elements

EARL root element <earl>

Sub-elements

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