<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Announcement: Linguistics in the Pub May 2012</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Topic: <b>More than just being there? The
place of participant observation in linguistic fieldwork</b></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Participant observation is the subject of
intense discussion and reflection in the fields of anthropology and ethnomethodology. Writings on linguistic fieldwork often mention participant
observation in passing as one of the techniques used in linguistic fieldwork.
But it is rarely discussed in detail, nor is there much of the type of
reflective discussions we find in other fields. Is this because it is possible to study linguistic data without any participation in
the speech community? (for example using historical records). Or are linguists
just generally averse to reflection?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This session asks 'What is participant
observation in linguistic fieldwork?'</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Is it:</span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0cm" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">spying on people?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">writing notes in a notebook?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">becoming fluent in the language you study?</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">the 'person' you are to the community you work with?</span> </li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Everybody's fieldsite is very different and
everybody relates to the community they work with differently. So is it really
sensible to see participant observation as a 'technique' alongside other techniques such as elicitation or is
participant observation more just finding a way of being a linguist in the field?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial"><br></font></p><p class="MsoNormal"><font face="Arial">Ideas for background readings:</font></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><h2 class="h3" style="margin-top:0px;margin-right:0px;margin-bottom:0px;margin-left:0px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:8px;padding-left:0px;font-weight:normal;color:rgb(51,51,51);background-color:rgb(237,237,237)">
<span style="line-height:14px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">Tedlock, </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:14px">Barbara (1991) </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small">>From Participant Observation to the Observation of Participation: The Emergence of Narrative Ethnography </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:14px"> </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:14px">Journal of Anthropological Research </span><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:small;line-height:14px">Vol. 47, No. 1 (Spring, 1991), pp. 69-94</span></h2>
<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Hume,
Lynne, and Jane Mulcock ed. 2004. Anthropologists in the field:</font><br><font face="Arial">
Cases in participant observation. New York: Columbia University Press.</font></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Arial"><a href="http://www.cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-13004-2/anthropologists-in-the-field/tableOfContents">http://www.cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-13004-2/anthropologists-in-the-field/tableOfContents</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Arial"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:Arial">A selection of these will be put on the RNLD website under the listing for this event, closer to the date. Suggestions for other relevant readings are welcome.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Date: Tuesday 29th May</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Time: 6:00 - 8:00 pm</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Venue: Upstairs room, Prince Alfred Hotel,</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:36.0pt"><span lang="EN-US">191 Grattan St, Carlton </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:36.0pt"><span lang="EN-US">(corner of Bouverie St)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:36.0pt;text-indent:36.0pt"><span lang="EN-US">ph </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Lucida Grande""></span><span lang="EN-US">(03) 9347-3033</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Lucida Grande""></span><span lang="EN-US"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">
Food and drinks available at the venue.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Contact Ruth Singer if you have any questions <a href="mailto:rsinger@unimelb.edu.au">rsinger@unimelb.edu.au</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">LIP is an occasional gathering of language
activists and linguists in</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Melbourne. All are welcome. Those in other
parts of Australia and the</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">world who can't make it to the Melbourne
LIPs are encouraged to</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">organise a local gathering to discuss this
topic and support language</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">activities in your area.</span></p>