Qualitative Methods in Sociolinguistics is the only book on qualitative research methods designed especially for readers doing research on language and society. It provides a brief, accessible introduction to general theoretical and practical questions about research and also covers the principal means of selecting, collecting, and analyzing data for interpretive sociolinguistic work. Topics discussed include the historical context of contemporary sociolinguistic methodology, the development of research questions, standards of evidence, research ethics, ethnography, discourse analysis, and strategies for writing articles and essays. In each chapter the author considers both field methods and analytical methods, illustrating the approaches by describing studies that have employed them. Exercises, ideas for discussion, and suggestions for further reading enhance the text and provide starting points for student research projects. Clearly written and comprehensible to students at all levels, this unique work is an ideal supplementary text for courses in sociolinguistics, language and culture, and field methods. It is also a helpful reference for anyone contemplating sociolinguistic research on any level.

Preface 1. Introduction Summary Suggestions for Further Reading 2. Methodology in Historical Context Field Methods in American Dialect Geography Field Methods and "Discovery Procedures" in Descriptive Linguistics Analytical Methods in Historical/Comparative Linguistics General Themes Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 3. Thinking About Methodology What Is Research? What Are Data? What Does "Empirical" Mean? What Makes a Good Research Question? What Is "Qualitative" Research? Summary Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 4. Some Legal and Ethical Issues Researchers and Researched Researchers and Resources The Uses of Results Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 5. Standards of Evidence: How Do You Know When You're Right? Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research Evaluating Competing Interpretations Summary Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 6. Thinking: Introspection and Intuition What Is Intuition? What Is Introspection? Introspective Research in Sociolinguistics: An Example Roles for Intuition in Sociolinguistics? Intuitions About Competence Intuitive Leaps 7. Looking: Participant Observation What Is Participant Observation? What Is Ethnography? Ethnography in Sociolinguistics Doing Ethnography: Some Preliminary Issues Starting Out: Field Methods for Participant Observation Making Sense: Focusing Fieldwork and Analytical Methods Summary Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 8. Reading and Listening Recording Discourse Kinds of Conversational Data Transcribing Using Written Texts Analytical Approaches Discourse Is Constrained by the World Discourse Is Constrained by Language Discourse Is Constrained by Speakers/Writers/Signers, Addressees, Audiences Discourse Is Constrained by Prior Discourse Discourse Is Shaped by Its Media of Production and Reception Discourse Is Shaped by People's Purposes Summary Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading 9. Writing The Article Abstract Introduction Literature Review Methodology Findings Discussion Other Genres The Grammar of Particularity Summary Discussion Questions Suggestions for Further Reading References Index

Barbara JohnstoneProfessor of Rhetoric and Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University

"A very useful and timely book, filling a gap in texts for courses that need to teach students to do research in sociolinguistics in a non-quantitative way. Johnstone writes clearly and with many detailed examples."--Marilyn Merritt, The George Washington University