The Written Questionnaire In Social Dialectology

Methods of linguistic data collection are among the most central aspects in empirical linguistics. While written questionnaires have only played a minor role in the field of social dialectology, the study of regional and social variation, the last decade has seen a methodological revival. This book is the first monograph-length account on written questionnaires in more than 60 years. It reconnects – for the newcomer and the more seasoned empirical linguist alike – the older questionnaire tradition, last given serious treatment in the 1950s, with the more recent instantiations, reincarnations and new developments in an up-to-date, near-comprehensive account. A disciplinary history of the method sets the scene for a discussion of essential theoretical aspects in dialectology and sociolinguistics. The book is rounded off by a step-by-step practical guide – from study idea to data analysis and statistics – that includes hands-on sections on Excel and the statistical suite R for the novice.

The time-honoured study of dialects took a new turn some forty years ago, giving centre stage to social factors and the quantitative analysis of language variation and change. It has become a discipline that no scholar of language can afford to ignore. This collection identifies the main theoretical and methodological issues currently preoccupying researchers in social dialectology, drawing not only on variation in English in the UK, USA, New Zealand, Europe and elsewhere but also in Arabic, Greek, Norwegian and Spanish dialects. The volume brings together previously unpublished work by the world's most prolific and well-respected social dialectologists as well as by some younger, dynamic researchers. Together the authors provide new perspectives on both the traditional areas of sociolinguistic variation and change and the newer fields of dialect formation, dialect diffusion and dialect levelling. They provide a snapshot of some of the burning issues currently preoccupying researchers in the field and give signposts to the future direction of the discipline.

The Handbook of Dialectology provides an authoritative, up-to-date and unusually broad account of the study of dialect, in one volume. Each chapter reviews essential research, and offers a critical discussion of the past, present and future development of the area. The volume is based on state-of-the-art research in dialectology around the world, providing the most current work available with an unusually broad scope of topics Provides a practical guide to the many methodological and statistical issues surrounding the collection and analysis of dialect data Offers summaries of dialect variation in the world’s most widely spoken and commonly studied languages, including several non-European languages that have traditionally received less attention in general discussions of dialectology Reviews the intellectual development of the field, including its main theoretical schools of thought and research traditions, both academic and applied The editors are well known and highly respected, with a deep knowledge of this vast field of inquiry

The second edition of Data Collection in Sociolinguistics: Methods and Applications continues to provide up-to-date, succinct, relevant, and informative discussion about methods of data collection in sociolinguistic research. Written by a range of top sociolinguists, both veteran and emerging scholars, it covers the main areas of research design, conducting research, and sharing data findings. In addition to revisions of original material, this edition includes nine new vignettes covering such topics as collecting data from social media, conducting linguistic landscape research, forensic linguistic data collection, and working with transgender communities. A companion website, http://sociolinguisticdatacollection.com, provides enhanced pedagogical features such as discussion questions, activities, end-of-chapter exercises, and contributor videos. This volume is the one-stop, go-to guide for the numerous quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods used in sociolinguistic research; it is the ideal resource for undergraduate and graduate courses in sociolinguistic research, field methods and data collection.

The Handbook of Dialectology provides an authoritative, up-to-date and unusually broad account of the study of dialect, in one volume. Each chapter reviews essential research, and offers a critical discussion of the past, present and future development of the area. The volume is based on state-of-the-art research in dialectology around the world, providing the most current work available with an unusually broad scope of topics Provides a practical guide to the many methodological and statistical issues surrounding the collection and analysis of dialect data Offers summaries of dialect variation in the world's most widely spoken and commonly studied languages, including several non-European languages that have traditionally received less attention in general discussions of dialectology Reviews the intellectual development of the field, including its main theoretical schools of thought and research traditions, both academic and applied The editors are well known and highly respected, with a deep knowledge of this vast field of inquiry

Doing Sociolinguistics: A practical guide to data collection and analysis provides an accessible introduction and guide to the methods of data collection and analysis in the field of sociolinguistics. It offers students the opportunity to engage directly with some of the foundational and more innovative work being done in the quantitative or variationist paradigm. Divided into sixteen short chapters, Doing Sociolinguistics: can be used as a core text in class or as an easy reference whilst undertaking research walks readers through the different phases of a sociolinguistic project, providing all the knowledge and skills students will need to conduct their own analyses of language features excerpts from key research articles; exercises with real data from the authors’ own research; sample answers to the exercises; and further reading is supported by the Routledge Sociolinguistics Companion website (www.routledge.com/textbooks/meyerhoff) which features further online exercises with sound files. Designed to function as both a core text for methods classes in sociolinguistics and as a companion to the Routledge textbook Introducing Sociolinguistics, this book will be essential reading for all students studying and researching in this area.

In bidialectal speech communities it is common practice that standard dialects are strongly favoured in education whereas the role of nonstandard dialects is highly disputed. Several countries in Europe have successfully dealt with the use of dialects in education while in other countries such matters have yet to be adequately addressed and successfully resolved. Some educators are still debating as to whether dialects and nonstandard languages should be used in education because, among other concerns, they erroneously question the adequacy of dialects in meeting speakers’ communicative needs. In the same vein, others do not seem to be convinced that conducting education in a dialect is beneficial for all members of a community. Sociolinguistic and Pedagogical Dimensions of Dialects in Education brings together various theoretical, descriptive and empirical findings on the status of non-standard dialects, their relation and coexistence with standard or official languages and their potential use in education. Gaining insights in such issues is of immense importance to researchers, policy makers, educators, parents and children since it can help in creating an educational environment that would respect the linguistic rights of bidialectal speakers and be a source for their empowerment. The edited volume contains 12 papers and is organized into four sections. Section I, which consists of three papers, deals with diachronic issues in dialects in education. Two papers in Section II present historical and current issues in language-in-education policy and planning while Section III, containing four papers, examines several aspects of dialect use in the classroom. Finally, the three papers in Section IV discuss the psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic dimensions of bidialectalism.