ABSTRACT
Investigating sociolinguistic correlations and indexicality essentially builds upon the observation of oral performance, i.e., speech – ideally, as unmonitored as possible. In contrast, writing counts as a cultural artifact; it represents a secondary encoding of speech via letters and transliteration, and it is conventionally constrained by its proximity to standard norms, “proper English.” Acquiring spelling conventions happens in formal schooling and requires effort. Knowing how to spell complicated words correctly and being able to express oneself fluently and stylistically adequately in writing count as indicators of education, and these abilities thus constrain the range of sociolinguistic strata in focus here. So at first sight, written sources seem a far cry from sociolinguistic concerns. Still, written data sources have been appropriate bases for sociolinguistic investigations and will continue to be, for good reasons. This chapter addresses relevant methodological issues and concerns that need to be considered in such an investigation. In surveying these issues, I choose a hands-on approach, starting from simple, practical questions that a researcher may ask her-or himself and moving along subsequent stages in carrying out such a project:
• Why would we want to, or have to, consider written data in the first place? • What kinds of text sources are available and where may we find them? • What criteria will have to be applied in selecting specific texts from a uni-
verse of sources one may have identified? • What kinds of procedures are applicable in investigating written data, and
in what ways do these differ from and relate to the default situation of studying speech?
