Part 1: Lectures and simulated fieldwork

The first component of these course consists of twelve lectures. Lectures consist of a theoretical component, and a practice session, in which students have the opportunity to practice fieldwork techniques in a controlled environment.

From the second week onwards, students prepare by reading introductory texts. Homework consists of analyses of the information students gather during the practice sessions.

Part 2: Immersion fieldwork

A fieldwork trip of one to two weeks to a location in Nantou in order to study the Bunun language. Students will conduct fieldwork under guidance of the lecturer and local language consultants, while living in the environment where the language under study is spoken.

• The exact location and date of our fieldtrip will be determined in consultation with the students. It is generally scheduled at the end of the semester, after the final exams.


• The fieldtrip is an obligatory part of this course. Make sure that you are able and allowed to participate in it before you decide to participate in this course.


• Students will be required to write a fieldwork report at the end of the trip.

Important information

• Computer: For this course, each student will need access to a computer (preferably a Windows laptop). If you do not have your own laptop, or you want to use a Mac, please contact me before the start of classes.


• Recording equipment: For some of the practice sessions and during fieldwork, you might work in small groups. Each group will need at least one professional solid-state audio recorder, and might need additional equipment such as a camera and one or more microphones. You and your group will be held responsible for the recording equipment.


• Costs: Acquiring knowledge is expensive. While there might be funding to cover part of our fieldtrip, students are generally required to bear part of the costs of their fieldtrip themselves. At the very least you can expect expenses related to transportation to and from the field site, accommodation, and a daily allowance for yourself.

Help in the general administration of the course and in the preparation of fieldwork sessions.

1. Attendance and participation: 30%      


2. Homework: 20%           


3. Participation fieldwork: 20%    


4. Fieldwork report: 30%

• Students are expected to attend class and to arrive in class on time. Non-sanctioned absence will negatively influence your grades.


• Students are expected to actively participate in class.


• Students are expected to make their homework and hand it in on time.


• Students are required to participate in the final fieldwork trip and to write a fieldwork report.

Grading scale

Readings will be made available during the course of the semester.

Websites

SIL International. 2012. SIL FieldWorks Language Explorer (FLEx). SIL International. http://fieldworks.sil.org/flex/

Software for fieldwork data analysis.

2008. The Leipzig Glossing Rules: Conventions for interlinear morpheme-by-morpheme glosses. URL: http://www.eva.mpg.de/lingua/resources/glossing-rules.php

The most commonly used marking scheme for interlinear glosses.

General reference works

Aikhenvald, Alexandra Y. (ed.). 2007. Sprachtypologie und Universalienforschung. Language Typology and Universals 6(1). Focus on: Linguistic Fieldwork. Bremen: Akademie Verlag.

Bowern, Claire. 2008. Linguistic Fieldwork: A Practical Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Chelliah, Shobhana L. & Willem J. de Reuse. Handbook of Descriptive Linguistic Fieldwork. Dordrecht: Springer.

Dixon, Robert M. W. 2009. Basic Linguistic Theory Volume 2: Grammatical Topics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Payne, Thomas E. 1997. Describing Morphosyntax. A Guide for Field Linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Shopen, Timothy. 2007. Language Typology and Syntactic Description, 2nd Edition (3 vol.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.