Documenting sociolinguistic variation in lesser-studied indigenous communities: Challenges and practical solutions

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dc.contributor.authorMansfield, John
dc.contributor.authorStanford, James
dc.date.accessioned2017-06-19T21:19:52Z
dc.date.available2017-06-19T21:19:52Z
dc.date.issued2017-06-01
dc.description.abstractDocumenting sociolinguistic variation in lesser-studied languages presents methodological challenges, but also offers important research opportunities. In this paper we examine three key methodological challenges commonly faced by researchers who are outsiders to the community. We then present practical solutions for successful variationist research on indigenous languages and meaningful partnerships with local communities. In particular, we draw insights from our research with Australian languages and indigenous languages of rural China. We also highlight reasons why such lesser-studied languages are crucial to the further advancement of sociolinguistic theory, arguing that the value of the research justifies the effort needed to overcome the methodological difficulty. We find that the challenges of sociolinguistics in these communities sometimes make standard variationist methods untenable, but the methodological solutions we propose can lead to valuable results and community relationships.
dc.description.sponsorshipNational Foreign Language Resource Center
dc.identifier.citationMansfield, John and James Stanford. 2017. Documenting sociolinguistic variation in lesser-studied indigenous communities: Challenges and practical solutions. In Hildebrandt, Kristine A., Carmen Jany, and Wilson Silva. (Eds) Documenting Variation in Endangered Languages. Language Documentation & Conservation Special Publication no. 13. [PP 116-136] Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
dc.identifier.isbn978­0­9973295­0­6
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10125/24751
dc.publisherUniversity of Hawai'i Press
dc.relation.ispartofseriesLD&C Special Publication
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License
dc.titleDocumenting sociolinguistic variation in lesser-studied indigenous communities: Challenges and practical solutions
prism.endingpage136
prism.startingpage116

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LD&C Special Publication No. 13: Documenting Variation in Endangered Languages