Elicitation

1
Elicitation

• Ling 426 Field Methods
• Spring 2005

2
Overview

• The setting
• What to elicit
• How to get started
• How to keep the ball rolling

3
The Setting

• Three aspects to any elicitation
• The data (elicitation list/protocol)
• Questionaires, etc.
• The method (interview)
• The consultant

4
What to elicit

• Simple object words
• Object words in morphological categories
• Simple process words
• Process words in possible morphological
  categories
• Combinations of object and process words
• Various extended forms

5
Simple object words

• Focus nominals
• Things to which you can point (number pictures)
• Semantic areas (people parts)
• Culturally relevant terms
• What generates multiple words?
• What generates euphemisms?
• What generates colloquial terms?
• What wont give you any term at all?

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Object words w/ morphology

• Focus nominal endings
• Take simple words and inflect
• E.g.pronouns (number case), superlative,
  comparative, diminuative, agentive, possessive
• Order of forms
• Possessive, number, definite/indefinite, case,
  causation
• Caution deixis

7
Process words

• Focus verbals
• Easily demonstrable, present-continuous, and 3rd
  person
• Then transitive
• Employ full sentences

8
Process words w/ morphology

• Focus verbal endings
• Person
• Negation
• Interrogation
• Tense-aspect (past, present, future)

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Combinations

• Focus phrases
• Object process words
• Build phrases like kids

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Extended forms

• Focus fixed format (performatives)
• Greetings
• Turn taking
• Exposition v. narrative
• Songs poetic forms
• Proverbs

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How to get started

• Have equipment ready
• Begin with something interruptable
• Be aware of time without looking at your watch
• Use discretion when fritzing with the tape or
  recorder

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Three jobs of the interviewer

• Be attentive
• Be a master of ceremony
• Between segments
• Be a sound engineer

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First things first

• Consultant is comfortable and equipment is okay
• Begin taping with identification
• Begin interviewing
• Dont show consultant list of words
• Consultant says words twice, different speeds
• Transcribe

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How to keep the ball rolling

• Dont say uh-huh, just nod head or smile
• If you need to flip tape, say continuation of
  tape 80.3
• Anyone can ask to have the word repeated
• Try not to repeat the word 4 times
• Let the consultant or your inclination guide the
  elicitation process

15
Phonetic Word List

• Ideally, every sound in every situation
• When examining contrasting sounds, use similar
  environments
• Allophones often come up in elicitation without
  explicit instructions
• Context includes prosody

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Gathering Words

• Dictionaries
• Consultants
• Passages
• Carrier phrase
• Say ______ again.
• Repeat _______ twice.