Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide
Claire Bowern

Welcome!

Chapter 1

1.2: Another trope of the field: The linguist captures and tames an obscure grammatical object.

Some discussion topics:

    1. You're going to the field for the first time: what do you take?
    2. You have a week to record as much of a language as possible -- how do you proceed? Make a plan for what you would like to accomplish during your time.
    3. Imagine you are actually going to visit the country that your field methods class's consultant is from. Find out as much as you can about the country and the language (s)he speaks.
    4. Do you think that linguists have a moral (or other type of) duty to work on undescribed language?
    5. Pick a random language from the Ethnologue that you don't know anything about and spend 20 minutes online trying to find out what materials are available.

    Further suggested reading:

    • The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula Le Guin): Anthropology science fiction.
    • What am I doing here? (Bruce Chatwin): travel writing.
    • Balanda (My year in Arnhem Land) (Mary Ellen Jordan): Personal reiminiscences about the author's year working in a remote community and the problems she has adjusting.

    Chapter 2

2.2.1: The summary of types of audio devices is given on the equipment page. See also UCL's recording page. While 44,100 Hz is a good standard for audio archiving, most people create working copies of their files which have a lower sampling rate (usually 22,050 Hz). It's possible to resample files in batches using Praat, Sound Forge or another audio program.

2.2.4: Microphones

I don't recommend radio microphones, although they are tempting, because they make it easier to record while walking around. However, the recording quality is variable.

I used lapel microphones on my most recent trip and they had both advantages and disadvantages. It was possible to reduce wind noise by having the speaker sit with their back to the wind; their body shielded the microphone to some extent. However, it was hard to position them because of the type of clothing everyone was wearing. Also, one of the clips was a bit loose and there was no way of tightening it. Clipping the mics to my equipment bag produced reasonable (if slightly soft) recordings when there was no wind. Sticking them inside the equipment bag produced reasonably good recordings of manikay (songs).

Transcription software:

2.6 The equipment setup checklist is on the checklists page.

2.7: Here are some suggestions for further reading:

Chapter 3

3.1.3: First wordlists

3.4: Common transcription errors

3.5: Data organisation and fieldnotes

3.7: Elicitation procedures checklist

The first field session: see the data here for Hungarian.

Chapter 4

4.1 Preparation. I'm not a big fan of endless lists, colour-coding, or anything like that, but I do recommend some way of keeping track of the tasks you need to do in the field, if only because there is so much to do. It's very easy to lose track of urgent items. You could use a "task" program, keep a list in a file in your database, or use a notebook.

There's a formal elicitation plan in the sample Hungarian data. To be honest, I'm never this organised in the field. I usually just write down a heap of prompts (organised by topic) and get through as many as possible, which varies a lot depending on digressions, interruptions, etc. I'll mark the stuff I want to do in a session with post-it notes. It has the advantage of flexibility.

A comment re pens, etc. The cheaper the pens and paper the better they seem to resist water damage. I've never done any experiments on this but it's my impression after many trips where I've returned with wet pieces of paper from boat trips, leaking ceilings or coffee/water spills.

4.2.1 Backups: Use name-brand CDs and DVDs rather than noname brands: they are slightly higher quality, have a lower failure rate and are probably a bit more durable.

I've heard of several hard drive failure stories that resulted in extensive data loss (and have had a couple of near-misses myself). Don't just use one type of backup media! Also, remember never to store your backups in the same place. It's very easy to do this accidentally, for example by piling up a bunch of DVDs with your computer for a week before sending them off.

4.2.2 On labelling: I use a system that involves my initials (CB), a language abbreviation (e.g. YN for Yan-nhaŋu), the session number and the track number. This is a compromise after many years of multiple audio formats (analogue casette, mini-disc, DAT and Compact Flash) and a recording collection that includes items from many different collectors. (I don't use standard abbreviations because not all the languages I've worked on have ISO-639 codes, and I don't use dates because I have recordings where the date isn't known.) If I were starting with a numbering system now, I'd use one based on collection or date.

4.3 Software. See here for my recommendations. I highly recommend using software that will run without an internet connection.

Test your computer before you leave. Once you're in the field, don't change too many settings or uninstall programs unless you absolutely have to. You don't want to do anything that is likely to make your system unstable.

4.4 Metadata

A useful resource is http://ahds.ac.uk/creating/information-papers/metadata/index.htm

Some metadata lists useful for linguistics:

(Links open in a new window)

4.6 Archiving

Chapter 5

Further links:

Chapter 6

6.3.3: Questionnaires: Peter Cole's site has links to many questionnaires.

6.5.2: Further reading:

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

8.2: Lexicon development

Chapter 9

(nothing yet)

Chapter 10

10.2.3: Languages and linguists: Here are some suggestions for finding data sources:

10.2.4: When to travel: Wunderground has global weather statistics.

10.6.3: Health: Eva Lindstrm's page has much useful information about travel to Papua New Guinea (much more generally applicable)

Travel advice:

Diseases

  • Tropical disease links from the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

10.6.4: Fear and culture shock: Peace Corps' culture shock links.

Chapter 11

11.6.3: Exoticisation: Here is the Language Log post mentioned in the text.

11.8: Endangered languages: There are suggestions on the links page, including fieldword blogs,

Further links:

Chapter 12

12.4: Human Subjects:

  • Title 45 legislation (USA)
  • Canadian Institutes of Health
  • Helsinki Declaration

Grant Bodies:

  • National Science Foundation (USA);
  • NSF/NEH: Documenting Endangered Languages Program
  • HRELP
  • AIATSIS (Australia only)
  • Smithsonian (USA only)
  • ELF (Endangered Languages Foundation)
  • FEL (Foundation for Endangered Languages)

Ethics:

Further information about fieldwork and ethics

  • Keren Rice's comments
  • Mark Liberman
  • http://www.linguistics.ucla.edu/people/cschutze/thinking_asking.pdf

Ethics and Archiving:

A sample deposit form with access considerations is available from http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/lbry/cllctns/deposit_frm.pdf.

Ethical dilemmas for discussion:

  1. You're working with two consultants, one of whom is happy to be videoed, the other of whom isn't. What do you do?
  2. You're invited to a one-on-one language session with an old man who's widely rumoured to be beating his wife. What do you do?
  3. You're working in an area where the leading cause of death is diabetes. Your consultants visit and put 4 tablespoons of sugar in their tea. What do you do (if anything)?
  4. Your IRB requires informed consent in writing, but none of the people you work with can read and write. Your IRB says they will accept consent forms signed on behalf of the consultants by someone who can read and write, but the only person in the area who can do this (beside you) is the local police officer, who is held in extremely low esteem. How will you organise informed consent to everyone's satisfaction?
  5. You've been asked by the local school to start language classes, but the village elders are concerned that a substandard form of the language will be taught. How do you proceed?
  6. Your supervisor doesn't see what all the fuss with IRBs is about and tells you there's no need to apply for clearance before you go to the field. Are they right? If not, what do you do?
  7. One of your grant funding conditions is that the results of your research be made generally available, however your consultants aren't sure they want their language put on the web. How will you proceed?

 

Chapter 13

13.1: Finding records:

Chapter 14

14.1.3: Documentation and Description: Himmelmann's paper

14.3: Learner's Guides and Sketch Grammars:

Here's a list

14.4: Reference grammars:

Mouton Grammar library

14.6: Web materials

some samples:

14.8: Lexicography resources

14.9: Language revitalisation

 

  • Matapuna lexicography software
  • TshwaneLex software
  • Toolbox
  • Miromaa

 

Claire Bowern. Houston, November 10, 2007 .

eXTReMe Tracker ©2007 Claire Bowern