Fall 2020  |  LING 8105 Section 001: Field Methods in Linguistics I (16669)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Field Work
Credits:
4 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
Grade Sort
Online Course
Enrollment Requirements:
Ling grad major
Meets With:
LING 5105 Section 001
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/08/2020 - 12/16/2020
Mon, Wed 02:30PM - 04:25PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Closed (10 of 5 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course focuses on a core methodological tool in linguistics: working directly with native speakers of a language in order to gather information about that language. To gain practice and understanding in this broad methodological technique, we discuss practical fieldwork concerns, including: approaches to organization and record-keeping; techniques and pitfalls for conducting interviews; developing a good working relationship with native speaker consultants; ethical issues; and the relation between linguistic theory and language data. Each year, the course will tackle these issues in the context of a particular language of focus, working directly with a native speaker of that language in order to gain an understanding of the basic grammatical structure of the language. Students will learn to conduct interviews with the language consultant in class and will practice these techniques on their own as they pursue individual research projects through weekly interviews conducted outside of class. The course relies on knowledge of linguistic theory that students bring from syntax (LING 4201 or 5201) and phonology (LING 4302 or 5302) courses, but does not require any background knowledge of the language that we will investigate. Prerequisites: LING 5001, LING 5201, LING 5302 and be an enrolled graduate student in the Linguistics program; or instructor consent
Class Notes:
This course is completely online in a synchronous format. The course will meet online at the scheduled times. http://classinfo.umn.edu/?acad_group=TCLA&subject=LING&level=5&x500=dustin&term=1169 http://classinfo.umn.edu/?acad_group=TCLA&subject=LING&level=5&x500=dustin&term=1169
Class Description:
This class has two related goals. Our more general goal is to learn how to work with native speakers of a language to conduct primary linguistic research. To this end, we will be discussing practical fieldwork concerns, such as approaches to organization and record-keeping, elicitation techniques and pitfalls, developing a good working relationship with native speaker consultants, ethical issues, and the relation between theory and data. We will discuss these issues in the context of our target language, which will be announced on the first day of class. Our more narrow goal is to carry out primary research on the target language with a native speaker. Through our fieldwork, we hope to gain an understanding of the basic grammatical structure of the language. Class time will be split between discussion of our research questions and direct interviews with our native speaker consultant. In addition, students will meet individually with the consultant each week to conduct one-on-one interviews. Each student will develop a research topic on some aspect of the target language over the course of the semester. Class attendance is mandatory in this workshop-style class. LING 4201/5201 and LING 4301/5301 are prerequisites for this course: it requires thorough knowledge of the basic principles of phonology and syntax. This class does not assume any background knowledge in the target language.
Grading:
Class participation 20%, weekly assignments 55%, final project 25%
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/16669/1209
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
7 October 2015

ClassInfo Links - Fall 2020 Linguistics Classes

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