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Chapter # 3
Field work and
community
language work Information available in
audio.
Group Members:
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• Rasheed Ahmed
• Hazar Khan
• Ali Abro
• Sameen Aga
• Bakhtawar Bibi
• Shereen
• Salam
• Usman
• Sidra [Link]
• Shaneeza Information available in
audio.
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Introduction
[Link] aim and personal motivation
[Link] two perspectives of language documentation
• Speech genres
• Content of recordings
• The format
• Orthography
• Dictionary
[Link] up the project team
[Link] and teaching
[Link] started: elicitation
• Wordlists
• Phonology
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• Short clauses audio.
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[Link] a corpus of recording with transcriptions and translation
• Recording
• Transcriptions
• Translation
• Editing work
[Link] flow and time management
[Link]
[Link] Remarks
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audio.
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Introduction:
Linguistic fieldwork is the area where people study and document languages.
Language researchers work with people who speak a language that is not well
known. The researcher and the people who speak the language may have
different backgrounds and goals. The text explains how the researcher can help
the community with learning and preserving their language. It gives examples
from past projects in Samoa and Papua New Guinea to show how researchers
and the community can work together. It also talks about how workshops can be
helpful in this process.
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[Link] aims and personal
motivations
Researchers and indigenous people have different aims/reasons for doing
linguistic fieldwork. Researchers want to learn more about different
languages for science, while indigenous people want to preserve their
language and culture. They both study the same language but from different
perspective/viewpoints. Researchers look at the language from a scientific
perspective, while indigenous people focus on preserving their language and
culture for future generations.
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2. The two perspectives of language
documentation
Even when researchers and local language workers agree to document a
language, they often have different ideas about how to do it. They might
disagree on important issues like: the choice of speech genres to be recorded,
the content of the recordings, the choice of orthography, the format of the texts
resulting from the recordings, and the content and format of the dictionary and
the grammar.
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audio.
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2.1. Speech genres
Speech genres means different types of speaking styles people use. From the
linguist’s point of view, language documentation should include many types of
speech such as formal speeches, casual gossip, and specific languages used in
rituals. However, local language workers take a different point of view. Some
local language workers may not find gossip appropriate for school materials
and think that knowledge of ritual language should only be shared with certain
people. It is important for linguists to respect people's feelings and only collect
information that people are comfortable sharing.
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2.2. Content of recordings
The content of recordings means what is being recorded in terms of stories,
legends, or language. Sometimes, the ideas of the linguist or anthropologist
may not be accepted by local language workers. There can also be
disagreements among local language workers themselves. Some may want to
preserve old legends for future generations, while others may think they are
outdated and not suitable for children to learn. Researchers should stay out of
these disagreements and simply explain that recording these stories now is
important to ensure they are not lost forever, which the community may
regret later on.
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2.3. The format
The format refers to how something is presented or recorded. Speaking and
writing are different, just as spoken and written language are different. In order to
document a language scientifically, one could simply transcribe recordings word
by word with a translation and relevant details about the recording. However, this
may not be what indigenous speech communities prefer. For language
maintenance and educational purposes, transcriptions (of spoken language) aren't
suitable because they contain errors, hesitations, and repetitions. Edited versions
are needed, but they differ significantly from oral literature in written form. They
represent a new kind of language, differing in physical nature, conceptualization,
discourse structure, phraseology, grammar, and lexicon.
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2.4. Orthography
Orthography is about how words are written. While linguists as second language
learners often prefer a phonological orthography that allows them to correctly
pronounce words they do not know, native readers often want a more
morphologically-based orthography that just allows them to quickly recognize
the words in silent reading. Orthographical issues are often of marginal interest
for linguists, but they are very important to the speech community. Linguists
might not care much about spelling, but it's really important to the people who
speak the language every day.
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2.5. Dictionary
A dictionary is a book that tells you what words mean. When making a
dictionary, the goals of linguists and the community can be different. The
community's dictionary focuses more on preserving cultural information, while
the linguists' dictionary includes more technical details like grammar and
pronunciation. The community's dictionary may have more general knowledge,
while the linguists' dictionary may have more detailed language information. It's
important for the community to have access to both types of information in a
way that is easy to understand.
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3. Setting up the project team
When conducting linguistic fieldwork, researchers often don't get to choose their
local language workers. Instead, they work with people who were chosen by
others or who wanted to help with the project. The researchers can ask their
contacts or local institutions like schools to help find someone who can read and
write, speak two languages, and is interested in working with
languages. In some places, people are chosen for tasks not just based on their
qualifications but also on their social status and relationships.
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audio.
4. Learning and teaching
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Fieldwork is a two-way learning process. The researcher learns the local language
and culture from the local language workers while also teaching them linguistic
methods and organization. However, the local language workers face a new
situation, as they've never taught their language as a second language before.
Local language workers may feel unsure about teaching their language because:
• They've never taught their language as a second language before
• They're teaching an adult learner from a foreign culture
• They don't share the same learning culture as the researcher
• Teaching one's native language to adults requires special training and
experience
Through working with the researcher, local language workers can develop the
skills to teach their language. The researcher can help them become aware of their
language's structures and research methods.
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5. Getting started: elicitation
When a researcher begins the fieldwork or starts studying something new, like a
language, they need to ask native speakers questions to learn more. This is called
elicitation. Old fieldwork manuals suggest ways to ask questions and keep the
native speaker engaged, but this approach makes the speaker passive because the
speaker only answers the questions, without having an active role in the process.
Instead, we should involve the speaker as an active partner and train them to
become independent language documenters.
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audio.
5.1. Wordlists
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In the very first sessions of fieldwork, researchers collect lists of words from
people who speak different languages to study and understand those languages
better, understand the phonological system and develop a working orthography.
They usually ask native speakers to translate these words into their own
language. However, this method may not always work well because sometimes
native speakers may feel uncomfortable if they cannot find the right word or if
there is a cultural taboo around certain words. An alternative method works like
this:
1. Explain the purpose of wordlists (studying phonology, orthography, and
building short clauses)
2. Discuss suitable semantic fields to start with (e.g., food and cooking)
3. Ask the native speaker to teach you words in a specific semantic field, dividing
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it into subcategories (e.g., fruit, vegetables, dishes, activities,
audio. tools).
When eliciting words, ask specific questions, like:
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Names of fruit and vegetables
Actions involved in preparing a dish (wash, peel, boil, fry)
Tools used (knife, spoon, pot)
5.2. Phonology
180 words are not enough to fully understand the phonology (sound system) of a
language. But you don't need to complete a thorough phonological study before
moving on to other aspects of the language. You can start with other areas like
syntax (sentence structure) and come back to phonology later. In a fieldwork
course, the teacher and students can learn from each other's mistakes. The
teacher can become more aware of their own language's phonology by correcting
students' pronunciation errors. Meanwhile, students can learn by trying to
identify minimal pairs (words with similar sounds) and inexploring the sound
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system in a playful way.
5.3. Short clauses
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next step language research is to ask the native speaker to create short
sentences (clauses) using the words from the wordlist. For example, if we're
researching English and focusing on food preparation, the native speaker might
create clauses like "boil the water", "cook the fish", and "fry the fish". As the
researcher tries out different combinations, like "cook the water" (which is
incorrect), the native speaker will correct them and become aware of the concept
of collocation (words that go together). This process also helps the researcher
learn basic grammar rules, such as word order and functional words (like
articles). Meanwhile, the native speaker is learning to
analyze grammar and morphology (how words change form).
As the native speaker becomes more aware of their language's grammar and
collocation rules, they can better identify mistakes and become a more effective
teacher. This process benefits both the researcher and the native speaker, as they
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learn from each other and improve their understanding of the language.
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6. Creating a corpus of recordings with
transcriptions and translations
To document a language, we need large recordings of natural speech. But
initially, these recordings might be too difficult to transcribe and analyze. Instead,
we start with short, simple stories that are easier to understand and work with. If
the speech community has a tradition of telling stories to children, these stories
are a great starting point. They have easy-to-understand content, sentence
structure, and vocabulary. Before recording, the linguist discusses the contents
and workflow with the indigenous teacher.
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6.1. Recording
Before showing local language workers how to use a recorder, think about the
steps to follow, like putting in the battery, connecting the microphone, and so on.
Teach them to hold the microphone not too close to the mouth and avoid noisy
places for recording. Practice with them and let them practice with others to build
confidence. If they're not familiar with technology, give them time to get
comfortable and not worry about making mistakes or damaging the equipment.
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6.2. Transcriptions
If the local language workers can read and write in any language, they can be
asked to write down what people say. Even if they don't spell perfectly or miss
important details, their notes/transcriptions can still be useful. It's most
important to teach them to write down or transcribe exactly what the speaker
says without fixing any mistakes. Editing can be done later when studying the
data. This helps the speech community participate in the documentation project.
For specialists, a selected corpus can be transcribed phonetically.
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6.3. Translations
The purpose of translation determines whether a free and idiomatic or a more
literal translation is preferred. For linguistic analysis, a literal translation is
more suitable, while bilingual community members and readers may prefer an
idiomatic translation (Idiomatic translation focuses on conveying the meaning
in a natural and expressive way, often not translating word-for-word). For our
Teop project, we used both idiomatic and literal translations.
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6.4. Editorial work
When editing transcriptions, the local fieldworkers should follow the following
guidelines:
- Respect the speaker's way of saying things
- Only change words and phrases for obvious mistakes
- Don't change sentence structure or direct/indirect speech
- Add information only when necessary for understanding
- Don't shorten the text
These guidelines help preserve the original language and speech community's
voice.
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audio.
7. Work flow and time management
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Work flow means how work moves from one task to another in an organized way.
Time management means making good use of your time. To work efficiently, you
need to have a plan for how work will be done and manage your time well. You
can't plan everything in advance because you may not know the skills and
interests of your team members. It's best to start with a small group of two or three
people and create a work routine. As you all get more experienced, you can add
more people to the team.
The researcher and local language workers should know what work needs to be
done and when. They should:
- identify what kind of activities are required to produce a piece of documentation
work;
- discuss who will do what
- Make a plan by listing tasks in order and assigning time for each
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- Follow the plan and finish one task before starting the [Link]
- Revise the plan and make changes if needed
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8. Workshops
A workshop is a gathering where people come together to learn about a specific
topic, acquire new skills, or work on projects. It usually involves hands-on
activities, discussions, and practical learning. In some countries, non-
governmental organizations or organizations often hold workshops to share
information, skills, or new technologies. People might expect you to lead a
workshop too. But before you say yes, think carefully about:
1. What's the purpose and goal of the workshop?
2. How much money do you have for it?
3. How many people can come, and for how long?
4. Who chooses the participants, and why?
5. Who decides what's discussed?
6. Who writes a report about it? Information available in
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There are different types of workshops that can be helpful for language
documentation projects,
like:
1. Introductory workshops
2. Training community language workers
3. Training school teachers
These workshops can help with language documentation and preservation.
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9. Concluding Remarks
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Working with a team of native speakers in the community is a fascinating
(extremely interesting) experience in many ways:
_Intellectually_: You discover interesting language phenomena and learn about the
culture.
_Socially_: You connect with people who are enthusiastic about language work.
_Personally_: You gain a sense of purpose and fulfillment.
This experience is unique and rewarding, especially when compared to university
studies, where you might have doubted the value of linguistics. But through
language documentation work, you find the answer to what linguistics is good for.
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