Admission requirements
A course in articulatory phonetics, such as the BA Taalwetenschap course ‘Klanken van de wereld’ (=‘Sounds of the World’) or an equivalent, is a prerequisite.
Students with no previous training in articulatory phonetics are required to make up for this deficiency before or during the Field Methods course. Please contact the lecturer if you have questions.A basic knowledge of linguistic concepts and how to apply them to language data is assumed; as described for morphology and syntax in e.g.
Payne, Thomas E., 2006. Exploring language structure: A student’s guide. Cambridge: CUP.
Kroeger, Paul R., 2005. Analyzing grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.
and for phonetics and phonology in e.g.
Gussenhoven, C. and H. Jacobs. 1998 (2nd ed.) Understanding Phonology. London: Arnold
Davenport, Mike and S.J. Hannahs. 2005 (2nd ed.) Introducing Phonetics and Phonology. London: Arnold.
Description
An exciting part of studying linguistics is learning about a language from speakers rather than from books. This course is aimed at preparing students for a real-world field situation by working with a native speaker of a language unfamiliar to them. The main goal is to document and analyze central areas of the language, ranging from sounds, to words, to sentences and utterances. The course will additionally include information on the use of tools and techniques for eliciting, recording, transcribing, and presenting linguistic material; and class discussions will also cover ethical and practical issues of working in the field. Depending on the class size students may collect the language materials in groups or individually; they report on it as individual projects.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, a student are able to...
record, transcribe and annotate speech data of a language that students were previously not familiar with, through the interaction with a native speaker
gather data using word lists, texts, grammatical elicitation, and other elicitation tools
organise and store data in a transparent manner
prepare a basic analysis of the phonology, morphology and syntax of the language based on work with a native speaker, and present this analysis in written form
identify gaps in the analysis and collect the data necessary to fill them
critically evaluate the usefulness of different elicitation methods for different linguistic domains
use audio and video recording equipment effectively
use language documentation software such as Elan and Flex (optional)
evaluate practical and ethical issues related to fieldwork (choosing a field site, health-issues, finding consultants, etc.)
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Combination of lecture, seminar, and independent research.
We will meet once a week for a field session and data discussion. Students are responsible for carrying out elicitation sessions and transcribing and analysing the data. In the data discussion meetings we address practical issues as they arise, and discuss proposed linguistic analyses for the collected data.
All students will have to prepare field sessions in advance, take notes during the recording sessions, transcribe, gloss, and translate the collected data. For each field session, a “session leader” is appointed - this may be an individual student or a group of students, depending on the size of the class.
Duties of Session leaders include:
Prepare the session, manage and monitor the recording equipment, keep elicitation going, take notes of the answers, transcribe, gloss and translate the recorded data; copy, rename and upload the recordings into the OneDrive folder immediately after class; submit a report of your session (including transcription, gloss, and translation) before the next class
In addition to the two contact hours per week, students will also collect data outside of class, in group work sessions with the native speaker, for an average of approx. 30 minutes per week per group. Groups make their own appointments with the consultant.
Assessment method
Assessment
I. Performance in field sessions, transcription & data annotation in session report, class attendance (25%)
II. Midterm paper. This will consist of: An introduction to the language (based on assignment 1 with incorporated feedback) and a sketch of the Phonology of the language (based on assignment 2 with incorporated feedback). It will also include an Appendix containing a list of the words collected so far (Language-English, English-Language) (25%)
III. Final paper. This will be a grammar sketch of approx 20 pages, plus an appendix (50%).
The final paper is a revision of the midterm paper (i.e., introduction and phonology), plus a sketch of the morphology and clausal syntax of the language (based on assignment 3, with incorporated feedback), and an Appendix which will include a lexicon (based on assignment 2, plus additions of words collected later) and at least three pages of glossed and translated text.
The term paper is due before the end of the semester. Not meeting this deadline means that the next opportunity to have your work graded will be at the end of the following semester.
Weighing
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average of I, II, and III above.
Resit
Resit: students who fail the course may resit the final paper.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
***Required readings: ***
Bowern, Claire. 2015 [2nd edition]. Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. There are two copies in the University Library. The 2nd edition can be read in the Study Area, 1st floor, entrance 5, P128.F53 B69 2015 [it is not on loan]; the first edition [2008] is on loan.
Campbell, Lyle. 2022. Linguist on the loose: adventures and misadventures in fieldwork. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Online access through the university library; pdfs of chapters available for download.
***Optional readings: ***
Feel free to make use of the suggested optional readings as much or as little as seems interesting to you. Some (parts) of them can be used as starting points to consult e.g. when preparing a session or writing the assignments, others provide some additional background or details that you might find useful for future reference. The following two books are good to know about, and consult when you feel the need:
Chelliah, Shobhana L. and Willem J. de Reuse. 2011. Handbook of Descriptive Linguistic Fieldwork. London: Springer 2011.
Payne, Thomas. 1997. Describing Morphosyntax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Registration
Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats