Sociolinguistic fieldwork is perhaps the most mysterious aspect of doing sociolinguistics, the stuff of late-night in-group gatherings among the select few who have actually been there. Natalie Schilling's new book cracks open the Pandora's Box of fieldwork knowledge and we two authors—one researcher, one student—offer our combined perspective of its unique merits for the field.
Schilling's goal ‘is to at last reveal the “secrets” of sociolinguistic fieldwork’ (1). She sets out to accomplish this by providing readers with a comprehensive ‘hybrid how-to guide’ that delivers both practical and theoretical information. Throughout the book's seven chapters Schilling covers designing a study, data collection methodology, research specifically focused on stylistic variation, being in the field, recording and record keeping, and how to give back to the community.
At the outset, she takes the reader through a brief history of sociolinguistics, and fieldwork in particular, beginning with foundational studies from the 1960s, that is, Martha's Vineyard, New York City English and the ‘Fourth Floor’, and AAVE in Detroit. She also expounds on qualitative aspects of fieldwork: anthropological and ethnographic methods alongside use of the classic ‘sociolinguistic interview’.
Chapter 2, ‘Designing a study’, outlines the importance of intensive preplanning and careful research design with the caveat that ‘fieldwork is time-consuming, emotionally demanding, and often expensive, and there is nothing worse than spending time and energy in the field only to return home realizing…, “If only I had…”’ (17). Schilling's candid writing style consistently incorporates both the prescriptive ‘what you should do’, and the descriptive ‘what it's really like’ aspects of fieldwork. Indeed, the unabashed acknowledgement of the emotional demand of fieldwork is noteworthy for its honesty.
(1) Hannah: Early in my studies, I completed an interview with a man who had been a POW in WWII. Picked up afterwards by the principal investigator (Sali), I burst into tears. Listening to the man reliving his war experiences was so overwhelming, I found myself deeply changed. I had no idea the impact my fieldwork experience would have on me.
Schilling goes on to explain: ‘it is vital to keep an open mind once you begin your study…’ (46). She stresses being flexible because once you are in the field even the most carefully thought out design can go awry. The ability to ‘think on your feet’ can be your saving grace, for example, when faced with engaging an individual who is determined to provide the ‘right answer’, or whose answers are short and unelaborated, for example, ‘There would be card games’. Likewise fast thinking can be your salvation when carefully rehearsed introductions, of both yourself and your project, are ineffectual.
Schilling's chapters on data collection and fieldwork are must-reads for any student preparing to go into the field. She succinctly outlines traditional fieldwork methods and approaches, supported by fifty years of sociolinguistic research, while also including helpful and practical insights from her own projects. For example, how does one navigate headstrong local contacts?
[Community] leaders are used to taking charge and to viewing themselves as experts, and they may formulate their own notions of how we should conduct our studies… In such cases, we will have to figure out a way to diplomatically continue with our own plans rather than adopting theirs (unless, of course, we realize that some of their ideas will be better suited to the community of study). (188)
(2) Hannah: In one community, a local facilitator helped us gain participants by telling people we were interested in the town's local ‘history’. This led some individuals to prepare cue cards and explain local genealogies with the aid of photographs, letters etc. Other individuals refused to participate because they had nothing ‘interesting’ to contribute to the town's ‘history’.
Another powerful aspect of fieldwork is the ongoing negotiations with community contacts. Schilling describes that,
along with the trust you gain as a friend of a friend… is a lessening of the power asymmetry... between the researcher, usually someone with an advanced education who is affiliated with an authoritative research institution, and the community. … This can be done at every step of the research project, from how you introduce yourself to the community and to each new research participant, … to how you comport yourself in the community in general… sometimes simply dressing differently… can make you seem much less like an expert researcher and more like a potential new friend who just wants to learn about people. (197)
Flexibility also pertains to the interview itself where being able to ‘go with the flow’ is critical (210–11). For the uninitiated, the first interviews can be nerve-wracking.
(3) Hannah: Having experienced this initial terror I appreciate Schilling acknowledging that although being ‘prepared, practiced, and confident’ while setting up an interview is important (236), Labov himself says, ‘there is actually very little that the conscientious sociolinguist can do to cause a sociolinguistic interview to go horribly awry’ (212). However, coming out with prompts such as: ‘Alright, now let's do a sound test…’, or ‘Okay, question number one…’ (both of which I have heard uttered by fellow students) definitely do not facilitate casual conversation!
Once the interviews are completed, however, there is so much more to do. Chapter 6 details recording and record keeping; here you will find helpful tips and tricks for fieldworkers in boxes set apart from the main text. For example, Box 6.2 emphasizes: ‘transfer your audio file from the recording device to a computer as soon as possible!’ (236). Box 6.3 provides a recording equipment checklist that every researcher should use. It is remarkably easy to leave home without enough batteries, and depending on the location of the field site that could be the end of that. It is also surprisingly common to forget a pen or informed consent forms, and leave your power cord behind. It is just as easy for your microphone, power cord, and so on to end up in another researcher's equipment bag. Save yourself the time, headache, and potential panic attack (equipment is expensive!), and take thirty seconds to run through this checklist before any departure. Box 6.4 offers some tips for success, including: ‘Identify a recording location conducive to good sound quality: try to avoid kitchens, coffee shops…’, position interviewee, microphone, and recording equipment appropriately and check that the interviewee is comfortable; record a sound check that has information like time, date, and the participants involved to check that everything is set up appropriately. Using actual, and necessary, information like time and date is much more useful than just getting the participant to count or make other arbitrary sounds. Schilling also documents how and where to safely keep records and recordings (audio files, interview reports, etc.). She covers ethics, organization and record management, and tried and true strategies that facilitate research, much of which involve a mix of expertise, common sense, and people skills.
(4) Sali: A ‘debrief’ is ideal for consolidating the day's experience. Not only does it allow fieldworkers the opportunity to complete paperwork and log data, but it also gives them a chance to discuss the day, relax and share experiences, all of which build rapport.
Chapter 7 discusses how to give back to the community and why this is important. As Schilling acknowledges, participants give us their time as well as their innermost thoughts and hopes. Researchers gain valuable data, contacts, and potential academic and/or career advancement. Yet often the communities studied are in need of help. Schilling discusses the different ways Bill Labov (269–73), John Baugh (274), Walt Wolfram (276–80), herself, and many others have made a difference to the communities they have studied, including educational programs, fighting discrimination, and working with the law. Finally, she discusses what students can do, from volunteer work in community centers and outreach programs or ESL teaching, to appropriately expressing gratitude.
(5) Hannah: In my fieldwork course, we were required to give the community a compilation of stories. We selected choice sections of the interviews, which were then transcribed, audio-clipped, organized onto a DVD, and compiled as a booklet.
(6) Sali: This provides each community with a meaningful and useful product—a machine-readable and oral archive to share with friends and family, especially children who can learn the value of their own history and community from listening to the stories of their elders.
Sociolinguistic fieldwork is daunting, often pushing our boundaries and forcing us out of our comfort zone. However, Schilling's book provides a comprehensive and forthright compendium of everything the sociolinguist needs to know to make fieldwork a success. Indeed, this book provides a much-needed textbook for any course that involves data collection or for any researcher who is embarking on a study. We advocate going to the field often and confidently! As Schilling says, fieldwork is ‘the most rewarding part of being a researcher, in terms of how much we learn about language and life, and in terms of the personal connections we forge as we engage with communities in a mutual learning process’ (3). When you head out, add this book on your checklist.
