Sociolinguistic Fieldwork

Looking for an easy-to-use, practical guide to conducting fieldwork in sociolinguistics? This invaluable textbook will give you the skills and knowledge required for carrying out research projects in 'the field', including: * How to select and enter a community * How to design a research sample * What recording equipment to choose and how to operate it * How to collect, store and manage data * How to interact effectively with participants and communities * What ethical issues you should be aware of. Carefully designed to be of maximum practical use to students and researchers in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology and related fields, the book is packed with useful features, including: * Helpful checklists for recording techniques and equipment specifications * Practical examples taken from classic sociolinguistic studies * Vivid passages in which students recount their own experiences of doing fieldwork in many different parts of the world Advance praise: 'Natalie Schilling learned the 'secrets of sociolinguistic fieldwork' (as she so aptly puts it) in both urban and rural settings. Her hands-on experience gives her book uncommon breadth, and her sensitivity, both scientific and social, gives it unrivalled depth.' J. K. Chambers, University of Toronto Advance praise: '... a detailed blueprint of sociolinguistic fieldwork, from initial study design, to making contacts, to more long term community involvement ... manages to capture wonderfully the often 'messy' experience of data collection in the real world. The 'secrets' of sociolinguistic fieldwork are indeed unlocked in this book.' Jennifer Smith, University of Glasgow Advance praise: 'Perhaps Natalie Schilling has done our little band of scholars a bad service by letting our secrets out in this comprehensive and clearly written account of what sociolinguists do - not just the various ways we go about doing it but, more importantly, the social and linguistic questions (and their interaction) that motivate our doing it, these latter points very well-integrated into the how-tos. A much larger audience will now have access to our mysteries, but, of all the linguistic mysteries that should be revealed to a more general public, sociolinguistics is surely at the forefront in the roles it plays in establishing a more democratic society. In short, on all these fronts, this is a very good place to learn how to do and why we do sociolinguistics.' Dennis R. Preston, Regents Professor, Oklahoma State University1. Introduction; 2. Designing the study; 3. Data collection methods; 4. Designing research on style; 5. In the field: finding contacts, finding a place; 6. Recording and record keeping; 7. Giving back to the community.