ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 outlines the methodology and fieldwork of the research project from which most of the empirical results presented in the book are drawn. As discussed in Chapter 2, Shetland constitutes an archipelago with striking linguistic variation deriving in part from limited geographic mobility during earlier times. The geographic coverage is thus presented in detail. Since the most conservative form of the Shetland dialect, maximally localizable to each fieldwork locality, was to be elicited, a set of narrow speaker selection criteria were established. The procedure through which the goals for regional coverage and speaker sampling were obtained is described. The different types of speech materials elicited are presented, as well as the fieldwork procedure.
