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Studying different levels of language tells us a lot about what we know about language, but not so much about how we know. How do linguists work? What are their tools, approaches, and what does that tell us about linguistic findings? Most importantly, how can we apply this toolbox, and make it useful for ourselves?
In this seminar, we will explore research methods in linguistics, and how they are useful for the study of English. We will begin with a few basic distinctions: what are empirical/theoretical, quantitative/qualitative, synchronic/diachronic methods, and why do linguists choose them? What do we mean by terms such as “armchair linguistics” or the “observer’s paradox”? And why should we think about issues such as research ethics and copyright?
After that, our seminar will be a guided tour through some of the major research approaches in contemporary linguistics. Some methods will be covered in theory in order to get an understanding of how they work (such as speech analysis, psycholinguistic experiments or ethnographic fieldwork). Other methods will be at the center of our attention: in particular, we will take a close look at corpus linguistics, discourse analysis and linguistic landscapes. Here, we will not just become familiar with methodological theory, but we will apply these methods in a hands-on way. You will have the opportunity to conduct your own small-scale research project as the basis for your term paper. In this sense, this class will not just help you to get a better understanding of the linguistic research literature, but it will enable you to use these methods for your own goals.
Literature:
Litosseliti, Ria (ed.) 2010. Research Methods in Linguistics. London: continuum.
Podesva, Robert and Devyani Sharma (eds.). 2014. Research Methods in Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. |
