LINGUIST List 14.658

Fri Mar 7 2003

Qs: English Lang Studies, Field Tape Recorders

Editor for this issue: Renee Galvis <reneelinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Seiichi MYOGA, English Lang Studies
2. Kevin Roddy, Technology - recommendations for tape recorders in fieldwork

I wonder if any of the three below makes any sense.

Let's suppose they all do.

Then is their interpretation all the same in that doing something good
was, unexpectedly/for some reason, followed by some bad result?

(1) I worked hard before I failed the test.
(2) I did all I could before she broke up with me. 
(3) We gave them the money before they continued blackmailing us. 

Put differently, do you agree with me if I say that the group all the
three above belong to is different from the group that (4) is a member
of.

(4) a. We mowed the lawn before our neighbors thought ill of us.
 b.=We mowed the lawn lest our neighbors think ill of us.

Unlike (4), where ''lest'' is the most natural interpretation of
''before,'' I assume that no ENL would interpret the ''before'' in (1)
to (3) as meaning ''lest.''

In short, my question is,
A: Are (1) to (3) acceptable or not?
B: If acceptable, does ''before'' mean temporal (but not ''lest'')?

Thank you in advance
Seiichi MYOGA 

Subject-Language: English; Code: ENG 

I'm a graduate student and have been using departmental Sony TCM
5000EV (analog) tape recorders to record and analyze language samples.

Sometimes I need to be able to look at a token and resample it, hence
my initial dependence on using an analog machine to save the data so
it can be resampled at different kHz for vowel and consonant
analysis.(These tokens are later digitized as .wav files and stored.)
For other purposes, I would prefer to record digital samples right
off, e.g., entries for a talking dictionary I've been compiling.

One problem I've had with the Sony 5000EV is the fact it doesn't have
a line out feature that goes into my computer (I've been digitizing
samples using the Praat program). I've jury-rigged the 5000EV so it
works, but it's not optimal. I like the size and quality of the 5000EV
otherwise - it looks like a linguist's tape recorder, because it's big
and clunky - I'm not a big fan of micro-electronics.

I'd like to buy two machines to conduct my work - a good analog tape
recorder, and a good digital one and would like some suggestions from
people on the list who've had experiences with the machines below or
would recommend machines they really like.

One professor suggested the Sony Professional Walkman (WMD-6C) as my
good analog device. It retails for around $400, and it's kinda big and
clunky, so it's my type :o). Would anyone recommend this model? It has
the line-out that I need.

I've narrowed down my digital device search to the Sony MZ N707
mini-disc digital recorder. I've talked to a couple of people in my
department who seem to like it. Has anyone else had experience with
this recorder and would be willing to recommend it?

Lastly, a good tape recorder is nothing without a good microphone. Two
microphones I've narrowed down to are the Sony ECM 717 and the
ECM-MS907 that I found on a French/English Web site dedicated to
microphone testing:

http://infos.0db.net/micros/compare/indexe.php3

Any additional thoughts or recommendations about microphones?

I want to have the best equipment available and am willing to spend
some money to obtain them. Have I overlooked some wonderful machines
that some of you really like?

Thanks in advance for any advice you phoneticians and fieldworkers
would have regarding these devices!

Kevin Roddy 
Graduate Student
University of Hawai'i at Manoa