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W O R K S H O P    D E S C R I P T I O N

 
Ethnography and Variation
Penny Eckert and Rudi Gaudio
While many variationists are now using ethnographic methods, there remains a perception across disciplines that the quantitative analytic methods of variation are somehow incompatible with the qualitative approaches of linguistic and sociocultural anthropology. This workshop will delve into the integration of the two traditions, showing how each can enhance the other, as we shed light on the embedding of variation in communicative practice and social life. Our discussion will be not only epistemological (why?), but practical (how?), and will address the use of concrete methods and technologies that can help researchers to do this integration.

Main topics:

  • Variationism and ethnography as 'social' 'sciences'.
  • What do variationists gain from the ethnographic approach?
  • What do ethnographers gain from employing variationist methods and principles?
  • Logistical, cultural and ethical challenges of both modes of research: getting started, keeping going, working in familiar and unfamiliar settings.
  • Enhancing your empirical powers: methods and technologies that will help you observe and analyze contemporary modes of language use alongside other semiotic practices.