Critical Sociolinguistic Research Methods

by Monica Heller, Sari Pietikäinen, Joan Pujolar

Critical Sociolinguistic Research Studying Language Issues that Matter is a guide on conducting concrete ethnographic and discourse analytic research projects, written by top scholars for students and researchers in social science fields. Adopting a critical perspective focusing on the role of language in the construction of social difference and social inequality, the authors walk the reader through five key moments in the life of a research composing research questions, designing the project, doing fieldwork, performing data analysis, and writing academic texts or otherwise engaging in conversation with different types of social actors about the project. These moments are illustrated by color-coded examples from the authors' experiences which help researchers and students follow the sequential stages of a project. Clear and highly applicable, with a detailed workbook full of practical tips and examples, this book is a great resource for graduate-level qualitative methods courses in linguistics and anthropology, as well as methods courses in the humanities and social sciences that focus on the role of language in research. It is a timely text for investigating language issues that matter to and have consequences for people's lives.

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Colinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to conducting research in sociolinguistics and, more broadly speaking, doing ethnography. The authors discuss five stages of research from formulating a research question to writing down/communicating your findings, which they term Key Moments, in a concise and practical manner. All Key Moments are illustrated with vivid examples from their own research topics and experiences. They adress problems that may occur at each stage and point to possible solutions. The „critical“ in the title entails that the authors question a positivistic approach to ethnography and keenly point the reader to the ethical implications of sociolinguistic research and the role and responsibilities of the researcher. The last chapter is titled „Shop Floor“ and provides practical guidelines for research proposals, consent forms and transcriptions.

This is a wonderful book for students of the social sciences and humanities, not just in sociolinguistics. While it contains some points that should be obvious to a researcher, it does a great job to help prepare students to write their first larger paper, thesis or proposal. The book introduces some central concepts and considerations for research and uses nice metaphors to describe the process. The style is lively and familiar, and even humorous at times. A great read!

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very honest, practical, with plenty of examples from the authors' past research. I love that they discuss and stress how important it is to network with/get to know (diners, coffees, conferences,...) the people that are going to read you in order to understand the standards and expectations. The examples they give are very insightful and the organisation of this book is just amazing, it's easy to understand, clear and you have little summaries at the end of each chapter. I would highly recommend this and "Guide de l'enquete de terrain" by Florence Weber and Stéphane Beaud as introduction to ethnographic field work. Both are excellent in different ways.