Course Info: CS-0252
| Course | CS-0252 Field Methods in Linguistics |
| Long Title | Field Methods in Linguistics |
| Term | 2018S |
| Note(s) |
Satisfies Distribution Textbook information |
| Meeting Info | Adele Simmons Hall 222 on M,W from 1:00-2:20 |
| Faculty | Mark Feinstein |
| Capacity | 25 |
| Available | 20 |
| Waitlist | 0 |
| Distribution(s) |
Mind, Brain, and Information |
| Cumulative Skill(s) | Writing and Research Multiple Cultural Perspectives |
| Additional Info | In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing, research. |
| Description | Linguistic fieldwork - collecting primary data by collaborating with an informant, a native speaker of a language - is a critical step in generating and testing hypotheses about the language's structure and properties. In this "hands-on" class we explored techniques for eliciting data, methods of recording and organizing information, developing a good working relationship with the informant, and thinking about the fit between primary data and the general theory of language. The target language was Wolof, a Niger-Congo language spoken in Senegal and the Gambia. It was a challenging experience – none of us, neither the instructor nor the students, had any familiarity with the language. Most of our time was spent collecting and recording data, as well as thinking about and analyzing lexical, phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic features that we discovered. In addition, students were expected to meet with the informant individually (or in small groups) outside of class time, to pursue topics of special interest that were the basis of a final report. |