http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1528562

Field techniques in an urban language study

This volume is a report of the methodology employed by the Detroit Dialect Study staff in their survey of Detroit speech, 1966-67. As a study of one approach to sociolinguistic fieldwork, this report is descriptive rather than theoretical "in order to provide a practical basis for large-scale urban language study." The authors discuss general principles of fieldwork and give such detailed descriptions of their work as they feel would be useful in similar projects. The general objectives of the study were (a) to describe the specialized linguistic features of the various sub-cultures of Detroit, (b) to determine the most efficient methods of gathering data on urban language patterns and of storing, retrieving, and analyzing such data, and (c) to provide accurate and useful data for educational programs. The major chapters in this volume are concerned with general aims, sampling procedures and research design, fieldwork design, fieldworker orientation, the questionnaire, the actual fieldwork, and fieldwork evaluation. For other volumes in the Urban Language Series see ed 012 927 and ed 013 455. (jd).

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