This collection of original essays on the practice of linguistic fieldwork and language documentation by twelve leading field linguists considers the study of languages in a natural setting. Drawing on extensive research experience, the authors review those techniques that work best in practice, and discuss a variety of relevant topics, including the attitude of the linguist, the structure and content of the work session, the varied roles of native speakers, and the practical and personal challenges of doing research in an unfamiliar environment.
 |
| |||||||||||||||
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Linguistic fieldwork does indeed convey the sense of excitement in conducting fieldwork, while at the same time discussing both the difficulties and rewards of doing such work...a book well worth reading, particularly by students who want a better idea of what to expect in entering the field for the first time and how to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. The book can also be useful to veterans of the field who are interested in finding new ways of approaching language in the field or are simply curious about the experiences of others." Southwest Journal of Linguistics
"This book is not only enjoyable to read, but it contains many useful insights into linguistic fieldwork, from a variety of perspectives." Canadian Journal of Linguistics
"This is a great volume for field linguists and linguistic anthropologists to read and is especially valuable for someone contemplating taking the plunge into fieldwork." Anthopological Linguistics, David Beck, University of Alberta
"This book is not only enjoyable to read, but it contains many useful insights into linguistic fieldwork, from a variety of perspectives." Canadian Journal of Linguistics
"This is a great volume for field linguists and linguistic anthropologists to read and is especially valuable for someone contemplating taking the plunge into fieldwork." Anthopological Linguistics, David Beck, University of Alberta
Book Description
This collection of original essays on the practice of linguistic fieldwork and language documentation by twelve leading field linguists considers the study of languages in a natural setting. Drawing on extensive research experience, the authors review those techniques that worked best in practice, and discuss a variety of relevant topics, including the attitude of the linguist, the structure and content of the work session, the varied roles of native speakers, and the practical and personal challenges of doing research in an unfamiliar environment.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Customer Reviews
Share your thoughts with other customers
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a collection of personal essays from linguists who have done fieldwork all over the world. I found the content to be very accessible, enjoyable to read, and very helpful (I am preparing to begin linguistic fieldwork this fall). In the introduction, the editors state that the goal of the book is to a) convey the intellectual excitement of lingistic fieldwork and b) give a realistic picture of the complexities involved in describing a language as it is used by actual speakers in natural settings. They have definitely succeeded in achieving this goal. Topics covered include: the pros and cons of doing monolingual fieldwork, escaping Eurocentrism, phonetic fieldwork, text collection vs. elicitation, finding consultants, and a number of other practical tips for carrying out fieldwork from experienced fieldworkers. Contributors include: Larry Hyman, Marianne Mithun, Gerrit Dimmendaal, Ken Hale, David Gil, Nancy Dorian, and many others.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An entertaining collection of papers on all aspects of fieldwork, from how to collect good data to how to be a polite foreigner
February 18, 2008
Format:Paperback
This 2001 collection of papers on various aspects of fieldworks proved to be highly informative reading for this graduate student of linguistics who can't wait to get out into the field himself.
Marianne Mithun's "Who shapes the record: speaker and linguist" warns against relying on only elicitation and calls for letting the informant speak naturally, because you can go through his utterances for data later. In "Places and people: field sites and informants" Gerrit J. Dimmendaal gives useful advice on the recruitment of informants and how to treat them during the research process. David Gil's "Escaping Eurocentrism" exhorts fieldworkers to describe languages based on their own internal logic instead of how they compare to the Standard Average European type. Nancy C. Dorian's "Surprises in Sutherland" observes that within a community each informant may reveal a very different idiolect from the others.
When it comes to practical advice on how to get reliable data, Shobhana L. Chelliah's "The role of text collection and elicitation in linguistic fieldwork" is probably the most important of the papers. She explains how to mix those two methods to avoid the pitfalls of each alone, and warns the reader about the tendency of informants to use prestige forms if not carefully directed. In the essay that follows, "Monolingual fieldwork", Daniel Everett makes the case that data gathered when the linguist makes use of no intermediary language and directly seeks to converse in the language being studied is of greater quality. Certainly this approach is not feasible for all, and Everett himself admits that this adds six months to a fieldwork project, but it will nonetheless be thought-provoking to all.... Read more ›
Marianne Mithun's "Who shapes the record: speaker and linguist" warns against relying on only elicitation and calls for letting the informant speak naturally, because you can go through his utterances for data later. In "Places and people: field sites and informants" Gerrit J. Dimmendaal gives useful advice on the recruitment of informants and how to treat them during the research process. David Gil's "Escaping Eurocentrism" exhorts fieldworkers to describe languages based on their own internal logic instead of how they compare to the Standard Average European type. Nancy C. Dorian's "Surprises in Sutherland" observes that within a community each informant may reveal a very different idiolect from the others.
When it comes to practical advice on how to get reliable data, Shobhana L. Chelliah's "The role of text collection and elicitation in linguistic fieldwork" is probably the most important of the papers. She explains how to mix those two methods to avoid the pitfalls of each alone, and warns the reader about the tendency of informants to use prestige forms if not carefully directed. In the essay that follows, "Monolingual fieldwork", Daniel Everett makes the case that data gathered when the linguist makes use of no intermediary language and directly seeks to converse in the language being studied is of greater quality. Certainly this approach is not feasible for all, and Everett himself admits that this adds six months to a fieldwork project, but it will nonetheless be thought-provoking to all.... Read more ›
Format:Paperback
I bought this because it is the prescribed textbook for my graduate Field Methods class. This does not deal with theoretical material: instead, it is a collection of essays about fieldwork and its many aspects, both linguistic and non-linguistic. If one wants to do fieldwork as the principal method of research, then this book can prepare one for the task. Personally, I do not see myself as a fieldworker but more of an experimentalist, but reading this book made me want to try the endeavor somehow.
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 44
books:
See all 44 books this book cites
16
books
cite this book:
See all 16 books citing this book
- A Grammar of Meithei (Mouton Grammar Library) by Shobhana Lakshmi Chelliah in Front Matter, and page 164
- The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life by Erving Goffman on page 139, and page 150
- Archaeology and Linguistics: Aboriginal Australia in Global Perspective by Patrick McConvell in Front Matter, and page 280
- Linguistic Anthropology (Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics) by Alessandro Duranti on page 32, and page 165
- Language History and Linguistic Description in Africa (Trends in African Linguistics, 2) by Calif.) Conference on African Linguistics 1995 (Santa Monica on page 229
See all 44 books this book cites
- Laboratory Phonology 7 (Phonology and Phonetics, 4) (Vol 7) by Conference in Laboratory Phonology 2000 (University of Nijmegen) on page 506, page 507, and page 510
- Essentials of Language Documentation (Trends in Linguistics. Studies and Monographs Tilsm) (Trends in Linguistics: Studies & Monographs) by Nikolaus P. Himmelmann in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Sociolinguistics: Method and Interpretation by Lesley Milroy in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Laboratory Phonology VII (Phonology and Phonetics, 4) (v. 7) by Conference in Laboratory Phonology 2000 (University of Nijmegen) on page 507, and page 510
- A Grammar of Mosetén (Mouton Grammar Library) by Jeanette Sakel in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 16 books citing this book
Books on Related Topics
(learn more)
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
