**What is ACLEW?** ACLEW aims to combine raw long-form recordings from several languages and cultures with speech technology tools to develop a better understanding of how language is acquired. It uses the DAS to create the manual annotations needed to fuel tool development. The ACLEW DAS template is the first major test of the DAS and will help to streamline the running process between manual annotation and (semi-)automated tool development and application. ---------- **What does the ACLEW template add to the core DAS?** In addition to the core DAS tiers, the ACLEW DAS template adds a number of dependent tiers, with different added tiers for the target child's speech and others'. *Target child vocal maturity:* Gives insight into children’s productive communication abilities when transcription has little to offer or is prohibitively difficult. Being a phonetically based code, vocal maturity is also defined in a language-independent way, allowing cross-linguistic and cross-cultural comparisons. *Target child lexical vocalization:* Before transcription on the speaker tier is complete, this annotation gives researchers a clue about when children begin to use lexical vocalizations. *Target child multi-word vocalization:* Before transcription on the speaker tier is complete, this annotation tips researchers off to the beginning of word combinations. *Non-target-child addressee:* Quantifying the amount of child-directed and adult-directed (overheard) speech that the target child hears gives us insight into the form, quantity, and distribution of speech actually addressed to the child. ---------- **What is the ACLEW workflow like?** Note: Each of these dependent tiers comes with a restricted vocabulary to facilitate cross-lab consistency. *Target child dependent tiers* For the target child, the ACLEW DAS template uses a cascade of manually annotated dependent tiers: vcm (vocal maturity), lex (lexical utterance), and mwu (multi-word utterance), depending on child age. *Non-target-child dependent tiers* Speakers other than the target child have a single dependent tier that must be manually annotated: xds, which indicates the type of person bring addressed (child/adult/both/other) using a restricted annotation vocabulary to facilitate cross-lab consistency, as above. See tutorials for more details