The monolingual approach in American linguistic fieldwork

Dados Bibliográficos

ID3955290
AutoresMargaret Thomas (0000-0001-7731-6642, Boston College, autor correspondente)
Ano2020
Volume47
Fascículo2-3
Páginas266-302
Data de publicação2020-12-31
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoHistoriographia Linguistica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0302-5160 • E-ISSN: 1569-9781
EditoraJohn Benjamins Publishing Company (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1075/hl.00078.tho
OpenAlexW3131240539
IdiomaEN
Referências citadas68

In the first decades of the 20th century, fieldwork - collection of language data through direct interaction with a native speaker - was foundational to American linguistics. After a mid-century period of neglect, fieldwork has recently been revived as a means to address the increasing rate of language endangerment worldwide. Twenty-first century American fieldwork inherits some, but not all, of the traits of earlier fieldwork. This article examines the history of one controversial issue, whether a field worker should adopt a monolingual approach, learning and using the target language as a medium of exchange with native speakers, as opposed to relying on interpreters or a lingua franca. Although the monolingual approach is not widely practiced, modern proponents argue strongly for its value. The method has been popularized though 'monolingual demonstrations' to audiences of linguists, which, curiously, are not wholly consistent with the character of 21st-century fieldwork

Character (mathematics · First language · Interpreter · Lingua franca · Linguistics · Neglect · Sociology · Value (mathematics · Computer Science · History · Interpreting and Communication in Healthcare · Linguistic Variation and Morphology · Multilingual Education and Policy · Philosophy · Psychology