Understanding Linguistic Fieldwork
Understanding Language Series

Understanding Linguistic Fieldwork offers a diverse and practical introduction to research methods used in field linguistics. Designed to teach students how to collect quality linguistic data in an ethical and responsible manner, the key features include:

• A focus on fieldwork in countries and continents that have undergone colonial expansion, including Australia, the United States of America, Canada, South America and Africa
• A description of specialist methods used to conduct research on phonological, grammatical and lexical description, but also including methods for research on gesture and sign, language acquisition, language contact and the verbal arts
• Examples of resources that have resulted from collaborations with language communities and which both advance linguistic understanding and support language revitalisation work
• Annotated guidance on sources for further reading

This book is essential reading for students studying modules relating to linguistic fieldwork or those looking to embark upon field research.

List of Figures

List of Tables

Acknowledgements

Abbreviations

1. Introduction

2. Planning for fieldwork

3. Equipment and recording

4. Data management, annotation and archiving

5. Phonetics and Phonology

6. Morpho-syntax

7. Semantic fieldwork and lexicography

8. Sign and gesture

9. Child language acquisition

10. Contact Languages

11. Verbal art

12. A final word

Appendices

Map of major languages referred to in this book

Answers to Exercises

Glossary and Abbreviations

Index

Felicity Meakins is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Queensland. She specialises in the documentation of Australian languages in the Victoria River District in northern Australia and the effect of English on Indigenous languages.

Jennifer Green is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. Her main research interests are descriptive linguistics, lexicography, multimodality in narrative practices and sign language.

Myfany Turpin is a Research Fellow at the University of Sydney. Her research is in descriptive linguistics, poetry, song, ethnobiology and language revitalization.