ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters in this part of this book. The part of the book presents a comprehensive chronological overview of the use of ethnographic data collection in sociolinguistic research and walks readers through the strengths and weaknesses of the method, with reference to specific studies. It shows how the interactions and outcomes of fieldwork are more than those of the immediate study. The book looks intensely at the construct that has been the standard for data elicitation in the field. It extends the survey method beyond linguistic variable collection to speaker attitude and evaluation study. The book notes that experiments and the data that they create can either stand alone or be used alongside data generated by other collection methods or collected from other sources. It demonstrates the utility of each method and, more importantly, the types of research questions that they can answer.
