Nwe books: Linguistic Fieldwork

[890003149593]

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A Manual of Linguistic Field Work
and Structures of Indian Languages
ANVITA ABBI
Center of Linguistics and English, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

This is a manual on linguistic field methodology with special reference to
Indian language structures. It covers all that one needs to know about eliciting
data from native speaker informants of South Asian languages. The book contains
step by step information about collection, collation, analysis, description,
presentation and explanation of linguistic data.
The author has drawn a large number of first-hand collected examples from
lesser-known and 'tribal' languages of India to expose the readers to the
variety and diversity of linguistic data available in the subcontinent. In
addition to the discussion on elicitation on phonological, morphological,
syntactic, semantic and sociolinguistic information, the author has discussed
the linguistic characteristic features of each language family of India. The
book makes the reader aware of areal features of the languages under
consideration and the contact phenomena to facilitate fieldwork. Each topic is
followed by the 'elicitation tips' and interrogation techniques for the field
worker as well as practical issues, problems and solutions as regards collection
of data.
        Sets of questionnaires on commonly investigated topics are included in
the 'appendix' to facilitate field worker to come to grips with the theoretical
and structural aspects of languages in general and Indian languages in specific.
        Numerous figures, maps and tables.

Table of Contents:

1       Linguistic Fieldwork and the
        Indian Scene
1.1     All about Linguistic Field Research
1.1.1   Field Linguistics as  an Input System to other fields
1.1.2  What does it involve?
1.1.3  Participatory in character
1.1.4  Theory independent
1.2     The Composition of the Language Scene in India
1.2.1. The Constitution
1.2.2. The Minority languages
1.3     The Hierarchical Structure of Indian Society
1.4     Bilingualism and Indian Society
1.4.1  The Rural Scene
1.4.2  The Urban Scene
1.4.3                   The Cosmopolitan cities of India
                        (The Mahanagar)
1.4.4  Bilingualism and Education
1.4.5 Language Loyalty, Language Shift And
          Language Adoption
1.5.    The Contact Languages of India
1.5.1  All India
1.5.2  Our field experience

2       Language Families, Language Contact, and Areal Universals
2.1 Indian Language Features
2.1.1 Indo-Aryan
2.1.2 Dravidian
2.1.3 Austro-Asiatic
2.1.4 Tibeto-Burman
2.1.5 Andamanese
2.2 India as a Linguistic Area
2.2.1 The Sound System
2.2.2 The Morphological System
2.2.3 The Syntactic System
2.2.4 Pragmatics and Sociolinguistics
2.3     The Sub-linguistic Area
2.4     Contact and Convergence
2.4.1 Various Grammatical Levels
2.4.2. The Restructuring of Grammars

3       The Preparation
3.1. Budgeting and Reservation
3.1.l   Travel
3.1.2   Board and Lodging
3.1.3   Remuneration for the Informants
3.1.4   Communication Network charges
3.1.5   Stationary
3.1.6   Equipment and Accessories
3.1.7   Data Processing
3.1.8   Word Processing/Typing
3.1.9   Reprographic Services/Xeroxing
3.1.10  Printing
3.1.11  Books and Journals
3.1.12  Contingencies
3.1.13  Overheads
3.2             Your Luggage
3.3     Status of the Informants/Area to be Studied
3.3.1   Literature study
3.3.2   Ethnology
3.3.3   Language study in big cities
3.4             Fieldwork in the Class room
3.5             Preparation of the Questionnaire
3.6             Contacts in the field
3.7             The Second Stage: In the field
3.7.1  What Language to Use for Eliciting
                Data?
3.8             Choosing Informants
3.8.1           Begin at School
3.8.2           Avoid a Language Teacher
3.8.3.  Choose Both Male and Female
         Informants
3.8.4. Choose All Age Groups But Not Below
        Twelve
3.8.5. Choose All Sections of the Stratified
        Society
3.8.6 One Willing Informant is Better Than
        Ten Unwilling Ones
3.9     The Role of the Interpreter
3.10    Your Own Behaviour in the Field
3.11    Being a woman is a Blessing

4 Elicitation
4.1.    Various Methods
4.1.1  Observation Method
4.1.2  Interview Method
4.1.3  Sending Questionnaire Method
4.1.4  Documentary Source Method
4.2     Interviewing Informants
4.3     Interrogation Techniques
4.3.1  Translation
4.3.2  Contact Language
4.3.3  Pictorial Representation
4.3.4  Substitution Interrogation
4.3.5  Associative Interrogation
4.3.6  Paraphrase
4.3.7  Cross Interrogation
4.3.8  Stimulus Interrogation
4.3.9  Examples and Illustrations
4.4     Transcription
4.4.1  Narrow or Broad
4.4.2  IPA or American
4.5     Data Collection: Various Stages
4.5.1  Stage I: Basic Word List
4.5.2  Stage II: 400 Word List
4.5.3  Stage III: Small Phrases
4.6.    Morphological Topics
4.7. Dichotomy between Noun and Verb

5       Word formation Processes
5.0     General Remarks
5.1     Mostly Inflection
5.1.1  Noun Morphology
5.1.2  Pronoun Morphology
5.1.3  Case Markings and Postpositions
5.1.4  Morphology of Adjectives
5.1.5  Stage IV: Simple Sentences
5.1.6  Morphology and Syntax of Adverbs
5.1.7  Verb Morphology
5.1.8   Stage V: Complex Sentences
5.2     Derivation
5.2.1  Particle -wala
5.2.2  Morphological Causatives
5.3     Reduplication
5.3.1  Morphological
5.3.2  Lexical
5.4     Compounds
5.4.1  Endocentric
5.4.2  Exocentric
5.4.3  Appositional or Associative

6       Syntax and Semantics
6.1     Inquiring into Syntaxand Semantics
6.2     Word Order Typology
6.2.1  Characteristic Features of SOV
6.3     Topic and Focus
6.4     Interrogation
6.5     Negation
6.5.1  Salient Features
6.5.2  Negative Verbs
6.5.3  Deletion
6.5.4  Scope of Negation
6.5.5  Other Related Features
6.6     Complex Predicates
6.7     Explicator Compound Verbs
6.7.1  Aspectual
6.7.2 Adverbial
6.7.3 Attitudinal
6.8 Dative Subjects
6.8.1 Experiential
6.8.2 Non Experiential
6.8.3 Subject properties
6.9 Complementation
6.9.1 Types of Complements
6.10 Converbs/Conjunctive Participles
6.11 Anaphora
6.12 Coordination
6.13    Adjectival Clauses

7     Social Aspects
7.1     Kinship Terms
7.1.1   Non-Affinal
7.1.2   Affinal
7.2      Forms of Address and Terms of Reference
7.2.1   Forms of Address
7.2.2   Terms of Reference
7.3      Politeness Strategies
7.3.1   Lexical
7.3.2   Prosodic
7.3.3   Syntactic
7.4.4           Sociolinguistic
7.4      Language Shift, Retention, and Death
7.4.1   Language Shift and Retention
7.4.2   Language Death

Appendices

This will include various charts, blank phono-logical and morphological tables
and different questionnaires mentioned in the text. It will include among others
the following:

IPA  Charts for Consonants And Vowels [Including Blank Charts]
The Basic Word List (Swadesh, Gudchinsky And Samarin) [A]
The Basic Word List (300 Words) [B]
The Basic Word List (400 Words) [C]
The Basic Sentence List
Cook's Case Frame Matrix
Word Order/ Topic And Focus/ Scrambling
Interrogation, Complementation
Explicator Compound Verbs
Dative Subjects
Language Shift And Retention/ Attitudes Of The Speakers
Language Death/ Obsolescence
Complete Word Reduplication [Bilingual And Bi-Scriptal]
Map: Hindi Speaking States
Map: Distribution of Tribal Languages

ISBN 3 89586 401 3.
LINCOM Handbooks in Linguistics 17.
Ca. 360pp. USD 80 / EUR 68 / # 44.





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