Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide

Linguistic Fieldwork is a practical guide to all the steps in linguistic fieldwork, from planning where to work to applying for funding, from the first session on a new language to writing up the data, from turning on the recorder to depositing the recordings in an archive. Claire Bowern provides a realistic account of the process of linguistic fieldwork. Doing field research is not like working in the lab with chemicals: both the field worker and their consultants are real people who interact in complex ways. This book is a guide to conducting that interaction in order to produce research which benefits not only the linguistic community but also language speakers. Given the rapidity of decline in global linguistic diversity, the next 30 years will be crucial for future knowledge of languages all over the world.

About the Author:
Claire Bowern is Assistant Professor of Linguistics at Rice University, USA and a member of the Australian National University's Centre for Research on Language Change