LINGUIST List 14.2042

Wed Jul 30 2003

Sum: Researching Langs/Alternatives to Wray et al.

Editor for this issue: Karen Milligan <karenlinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Loren Billings, Researching Languages/Alternatives to Wray et al.

In Linguist 14.1979 I asked about the following book and whether any
others exist that serve the same purpose: to help advanced
undergraduates learn how to do linguistic research of their own. This
is an updated citation. (I mistakenly listed the authors as editors.)

Alison WRAY, Kate TROTT, and Aileen BLOOMER (1998) Projects in
Linguistics: A Practical Guide to Researching Language. London:
Arnold. (Co-published in the United States by Oxford University Press,
New York.)


Three people responded. I discuss each in turn:

Fist, Martin WYNNE <martin.wynneota.ahds.ac.uk> recommends another
book:

SEBBA, Mark (2000) Focussing [sic.] on Language: a student's guide to
research planning, data collection, analysis and writing up. Fourth
edition. Lancaster: Definite Article Publications.

Martin adds that although he hasn't actually used it in class, it
looks very practical. It is priced at only 2.50 UK pounds on Mark's
web site:

 http://www.ling.lancs.ac.uk/staff/mark/Web-201/resource.html

Apparently, the author is the publisher. Here is the book's web site:

 http://web.onetel.net.uk/~marksebba/

The author can also be reached as follows: <M.Sebbalancs.ac.uk>.


Next, Kathryn REMLINGER <remlingkgvsu.edu> wrote:

> There are a couple sources you might find useful, although they
> aren't textbooks: the e-list Teach-ling is fairly quiet list, but
> there are sometimes spurts of good discussion and sharing of
> teaching ideas, including projects. COSWL (The Committee on the
> Status of Women in Linguistics) has published a collection of
> syllabi, mostly for teaching courses on language and gender, but
> also for sociolx, lx anthropology and other topics. Many of the
> syllabi outline project assignments.

I located what looks to be the relevant page, where an (apparently)
printed publication is advertised: ''The COSWL collection of language
and gender syllabi'' (Elizabeth HUME and Bonnie McELHINNY, editors),
1993. $20. The URL:

 http://ling.wisc.edu/coswl/coswl.pubs.htm

Kathryn continues:

> Also, IGALA (International Gender and Language Association) and Mary
> Bucholtz's Language and Gender Page (the two are linked) list
> resources for teaching. Then, as you may already know, Linguistlist
> also has a link for teaching resources.

Here is the IGALA link: 

 http://www.stanford.edu/group/igala/links.html

Indeed, there is a link from that page to BUCHOLTZ's page. (However,
the link from this page to COSWL is apparently outdated; use the one
above.)


Finally, M�DY Katalin <madyarcor.de> offered to help with statistical
expertise but was not aware of any specific alternatives to the book.


Alas, it turns out that I will not get to teach such a course. Still,
I promised to post a summary. This is everything I now have. Best,
--Loren


- 
Loren A. Billings, Ph.D.
Associate professor of linguistics
Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
National Chi Nan University
Puli, Nantou, Taiwan 545 Republic of China

E-mail: billingsncnu.edu.tw