LING-102: Preliminary Field Project Report
Due Monday, July 16, at the beginning of class (see below
for specifics about what to submit and how).
INSTRUCTIONS: In this assignment you'll be doing a
preliminary analysis of the data on Philly short-a that you and your
classmates collected last week. You'll need the class data spreadsheet,
which was emailed to you during class on Wednesday 7/11 (let me know if you need
another copy of it).
I strongly encourage you to work in pairs, at least for data
clean-up/recoding and initial Excel practice, but preferably for the whole
exercise. If you submit a co-authored report, I just need one copy with
both of your names on it.
- Go through the spreadsheet and do any initial clean-up necessary.
- make sure all the tokens are true /ae/-tokens
- make all the codes consistent in each column (e.g. replace all 'F:female' with 'F')
- check the accuracy of the coding for the linguistic variables in columns
H-J and do any
necessary re-coding
- do any other clean-up/corrections you think are necessary. If you have questions about a particular token, email the person who
recorded it.
- Analysis: Apply and build on the Excel tools we went over in class to
investigate any questions that are of interest to you in the data. Think
about the different independent variables we've talked about in
class - both linguistic and nonlinguistic - and what kind of effect they
might be expected to have on our dependent variable (whether /ae/ is
tense or lax). Refer to part 3 of homework 1,
section 3.5 of Labov 2007
(distributed in class, along with my key points summary), and your
Aitchison readings for ideas about why we coded for these particular
factors and what patterns we might expect to find.
We went over basic sorting and formulas (Sum, SumIf, CountIf)
together, but you'll probably also want to use Average, the chart wizard,
and other Excel functions. The F1 button brings up the Help menu, which is
usually pretty good. You can also try googling for Excel support sites, or
- as always - ask a classmate, or me. If you're new to Excel, make backup
copies frequently using Save As to avoid losing work in case you make a
mistake.
- Write a brief report (the equivalent of 2-4 single-spaced
pages, not including charts) that includes 4 to 6 main points/observations
about the data. You should make it clear: (i) why you chose to
investigate each variable (or combination of variables), demonstrating your
understanding of the issues raised in class and in the readings cited
above; (ii) whether the result was consistent with any initial expectations
you had; and (iii) what you think might be some possible reasons for any
surprising results. For each observation, you should include a general
statement about your finding
as well as specific numbers to back it up: 'Women were found to have
more frequent /ae/-tensing than men (38% (n=150) vs. 20% (n=160)'. Include
tables and/or charts judiciously, in cases where they help make complex
findings easier to process at a glance. In many (perhaps most) cases, you
might think you can't draw definite conclusions because you don't have
enough data, or the right kind of data. Include these comments in your
report as well.
- After reporting your results, write an additional paragraph or
two (1/2 to 1 page) with a proposal for follow-up investigation. What
question(s) about Philly /ae/ are you interested in pursuing and how does
this initial data set need to be supplemented in order for you to pursue
them? Think about the various methods of linguistic data collection
discussed in class on day 1 and in the Aitchison chapters, and carefully
consider which method(s) would be best suited for your questions of
interest and for the time and resources we have at hand. Two additional
methods you might want to consider include:
- Semantic differentials: The investigator writes two words on
cards (one or both words containing the linguistic variable under
investigation) and asks the speaker to explain the difference between
them. For example, you could write SAD and UNHAPPY on cards and ask 'What's
the difference between these?' This method is designed to elicit a
particular word/words without focusing the speaker's attention on their
pronunciation (if anything, they'll probably think you're interested in the
meanings of the words).
- Reading passage: You write a short text that
contains a number of short-a words you're interested in, and the speaker
reads it out loud. While all reading tasks elicit a formal, careful style
of speech, burying the short-a words in a larger text makes it less likely
that the speaker will pay attention to their pronunciation of short-a in
particular.
- Submit your report and proposal to me by email and in
hardcopy by/at the beginning of class on Monday, July 16. Email me
your final spreadsheet at the same time (don't try to print it). You'll be
graded on (i) the accuracy of your coding and use of Excel tools, (ii) your
demonstrated understanding of the relevant background issues we've read
about and discussed, and (iii) the clarity and overall quality of your
written presentation.
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