Deana Carey LG 405
Appendix i) – Methodology for Data Collection (section 3.1)
3. Methodology
3.1 Data Collection
The goal of this study was to examine a phonological feature of speech. Milroy and Gordon (2003:67) suggest that the goal of the study will dictate the nature of the method of data collection. For example, when examining some syntactic variables it may be necessary to structure an interview more formally so as to illicit specific tokens which occur infrequently in casual conversation. In the case of this study however, the aim was to extract the maximum number of tokens from the most naturally occurring speech. This speech style is known as casual style (Labov 1966) and is the least formal of the speech styles categorised in his study of New York City. Thus the method of data collection chosen was to make recordings of relaxed and informal conversations between two or more participants. The recorder used was an Edirol R-09 24bit WAV/MP3 used in WAV mode and after each recording the WAV file was uploaded to a computer for analysis.
The length of each recording was between one and two and a half hours depending on the number of speakers involved. Milroy and Gordon (2003:58) cite a number of theorist’s views on interview length. They say that “useful phonological data can be obtained in a relatively short time – 20 – 30 minutes”. Labov (1984:32) suggests “one to two hours per speaker”, Douglas-Cowie (1978) says that only after an hour will a speaker settle and use “everyday interactional style” and Schilling-Estes (1998) suggests that whatever the interview length, speakers will style shift throughout the course of an interview. Bearing this in mind and in keeping with the phonological nature of the study, an average of one hour per speaker was used as a general yardstick for the length of each recording.
In order to keep the conversation flowing and the questions to a minimum, promoting greater speech production from the interviewees, a number of topics were used to initiate the interviews. These were as follows:
- “Tell me what it was like to grow up in Colchester”
- How did you and __(wife/husband/friend)______meet?
- How has Colchester changed?
- What was it like to be a child in war time?
These topics were similar to those used by Gordon in his study of small towns in Michigan (2001b) as he found that older participants would speak fondly of their childhood experiences and have plenty to say on how things were different now. Milroy and Gordon (2003:64) also state that when people are “...emotionally involved they are more concerned with what they say than how they say it”. Topics such as the war and meaningful relationships were used to promote this type of emotional involvement and in turn a focus the speaker on the story rather than how it was being told.
As mentioned some of the recordings were of two or more participants plus the interviewer. In fact only two out of the twelve were undertaken on a one-to-one basis. Labov et al (1968) used small groups rather than individuals in their data collection for their Harlem study. This facilitated a more casual and naturally occurring interaction with participants initiating and continuing a conversation without waiting for a question or input from the interviewer. This was indeed the case for the speakers involved in this study. The interviewer rarely had to interject other than contributing to the flow of the conversation when asked a question by one of the speakers. This form of data collection concurs with the view of Briggs (1984:24) who experienced far more fruitful data collection when the interviewee took control of the conversation and thus challenged the asymmetry of the usual interview format where the power rests with the interviewer.
It is important to outline here the preparation that the participants in this study had before the recordings actually took place. Firstly the nature of the study was explained and although they were not informed of the actual variable under investigation, they were told that it was a sound that was made in some words that was to be studied and so the content of the conversation could be of their choosing. All participants were asked to read and sign a consent form (appendix i). This explained that the data collected would be stored anonymously but could be accessed for further study. It is important to note that the actual signed consent forms have already been submitted to the University (as have the recordings) for safe storage on the Departmental database. It was made clear to the participants that they could withdraw from the interview at any time and that they would have a week or so to also withdraw their total consent if they so wished. Prior to the recording, the speakers were also asked to complete a background information sheet (appendix ii) which will be discussed more fully in the next section. Thankfully all the speakers approved of the data storage and fully participated in the recorded conversation, no-one withdrew from the study.
Appendix ii)
/ CONSENT FORMDepartment of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex.
The recordings made during this research will be retained and kept securely in a password-restricted database, used for research purposes by Deana Carey, and will only made accessible to other bona-fide students and researchers of linguistics at the University of Essex with the explicit written approval of the Director of the relevant courses, Dr David Britain.
The recordings will be anonymised so that the identities of the people recorded will remain confidential.
The researcher conducting the recordings has explained the purposes of the research and I have been given the opportunity to ask questions about it, stop the recording if I wish, and I understand that I may withdraw from the research at any time without giving any explanation.
I agree to the recordings being collected, stored and used as explained above.
NameSignature
Date
Researcher name and signature:
Date:
Appendix iii) Background Information Sheets for Each Speaker
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE:Speaker A
Information about recorded speaker:
Age80Gender Male
Education of speaker School till 14 yrs then apprenticeship
Employment of speaker Butcher/slaughter man
Additional information lived in Colchester all life apart from National Service – postings various but all in South of England. Not evacuated.
Retired at 80
Considers himself to be working class
Recorded by _____Deana Carey______Date: 18/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE:Speaker B
Information about recorded speaker:
Age77Gender Male
Education of speaker School till 14 then apprenticeship
Employment of speaker Bricklayer first as employee then from 35 self employed
Additional information Always lived in Colchester but was evacuated in the war to Nottinghamshire for 6 months at around aged 8. Otherwise lived in Colchester
Retired 75
Considers himself to be working class
Recorded by _____Deana Carey ______Date: 28/10/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker C
Information about recorded speaker:
Age77Gender Male
Education of speaker school till 14 no further education
Employment of speaker Electrical Engineer
Additional information National Service – postings all in South of England for 2 years. Not evacuated. Otherwise always lived in Colchester
Retired 65
Considers himself to be working class
Recorded by ______Deana Carey ______Date:20/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker D
Information about recorded speaker:
Age72Gender Male
Education of speaker Education at school till 15 then apprenticeship
Employment of speaker Machine tool fitter
Additional information Evacuated to Leeds at around 4 for 2 months and National Service postings to Aldershot and Germany. Otherwise always in Colchester
Retired 65
Considers himself to be working class
Recorded by ______Deana Carey ______Date: 13/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker E
Information about recorded speaker:
Age69Gender Male
Education of speaker Left school at 15
Employment of speaker Printer
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Considers himself to be working class
Retired 55
Recorded by ____Deana Carey ______Date: 4/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker F
Information about recorded speaker:
Age73Gender Male
Education of speaker School till 15
Employment of speaker Machine Operator - Printing
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Considers himself to be working class
Retired 65
Recorded by _____Deana Carey ______Date: 4/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker G
Information about recorded speaker:
Age75Gender Female
Education of speaker Left school at 15
Employment of speaker Dressmaker/seamstress
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Left work in 1958
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by ______Deana Carey ______Date: 20/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker H
Information about recorded speaker:
Age80Gender Female
Education of speaker Left school at 14
Employment of speaker Clothing Machinist/ admin/ secretarial
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Left work 1953
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by _____Deana Carey ______Date:18/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker I
Information about recorded speaker:
Age75Gender Female
Education of speaker School till 15
Employment of speaker Clerical/ secretarial
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Left work 1963
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by _____Deana Carey ______Date: 18/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker J
Information about recorded speaker:
Age70Gender Female
Education of speaker Left school 15
Employment of speaker Various factory/shop work
Additional information Lived in London for 2 years early twenties otherwise always in Colchester
Full or part time work till retirement at 60
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by _____Deana Carey ______Date:18/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker K
Information about recorded speaker:
Age67Gender Female
Education of speaker 15 left school
Employment of speaker Admin
Additional information
Continued in part time work till retirement at 60
Always lived in Colchester
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by ______Deana Carey ______Date: 10/11/2009
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEETCODE: Speaker L
Information about recorded speaker:
Age69Gender Female
Education of speaker School till 16
Employment of speaker Wages Clerk
Additional information Always lived in Colchester
Left work in 1964
Considers herself to be working class
Recorded by ______Deana Carey ______Date: 10/11/2009
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 133, SPEAKER: COLCM39080148
Background Information Sheet 2007-2008Archive Code: _254-14-08_
Age:39 Sex:Male Ethnicity: White British
What part of Colchester does the speaker live in?
Alsford
Have they always lived there? If not, where else have they lived, when, and for how long?
He lived in Wivenhoe for 12 years and then moved to Alsford, he then bought his first house in Colchester town, but after one year moved back to Alsford where he has lived ever since.
Speaker’s Education:
He went to primary school in Wivenhoe, secondary school in Brightlingsea and college in Colchester to complete his apprenticeship.
Speaker’s Employment:
Worked for Anglican Water services for 17 years, and has been in employed by the University of Essex for the past two years.
If the speaker has a partner/wife/husband, where was he/she brought up, and what does that person do in the way of employment?
He has a wife who was brought up in Sible Hedingham; she works in a school nursery.
Where are the speaker’s parents from?
The speaker’s parents have always lived in the Colchester area, and are currently living in Alsford.
Describe the social network ties the speaker has in the local community.
He has worked in the Colchester area all of his life, previously working for Anglican Water services and now for the University of Essex. His two children attend a local primary school, whilst his wife works in a nearby school nursery. He also helps train his son’s football team of a weekend, which local children attend and he tends to socialise in his nearby town; being Colchester and when younger occasionally visited Chelmsford.
An applicable person for 2007-8’s cohort is someone who is not 18-25 years old, has lived in Colchester since the age of 12, and must not have been away for longer than 4 years.
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 114, SPEAKER:COLCF47040129
Background Information SheetArchive Code:354-04-01
Age:___47______Sex:___female______
What part of Colchester do you live in?___Mersea Road______
Education/Employment:
Secondary school(comprehensive school)
Parents:
How long have they lived in Colchester? mother:20 years
Father:10 years
Father’s Education:Mother’s Education:
Secondary school,he worked in a printer secondary school (dinner lady)
Employment:
Cleaner
Describe the social network ties this person has into the local community:
She relates with school friends, so most of her partners and friends ar from Colchester
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 116, SPEAKER: COLCM42040131
Background Information SheetArchive Code:354-04-09
Age:42Sex:Male
What part of Colchester do you live in?Wivenhoe
Education/Employment:
BrightlingseaSeniorSchool, until aged 16.
Worked in Colchester Lathe Company as an apprentice until 1992.
Worked in the university Student Union bar ever since, now as the co-manager.
Parents:
How long have they lived in Colchester?
All their lives.
Father’s Education:Mother’s Education:
Unknown, probably Wilson Marriage school.Wilson Marriage school until aged 16.
Employment:
Father: industrial, working class.
Describe the social network ties this person has into the local community:
Friends and immediate family in Wivenhoe and Colchester – except for brother in Elmstead Market.
Spends most time with people in the university, but most evenings with his family.
Always lived and worked in the Colchester area.
An applicable person for 2003-4’s cohort is someone who:
- Has been educated in Colchester between the ages of 8 and 16
- Has parents with L1 Southeastern British English
- Is of White Anglo ethnicity.
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 124, SPEAKER: COLCM29980139
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEET (A / 457.13.98Name / DARREN PARKER
Date of Birth / 14.10.69
Sex / MALE
Road name and Village/Town of Address / BOARDENS WAYCOLCHESTER
What is your current Occupation? / FULL TIME STUDENT
Do you have any ambitions &/or aspirations with regard to employment and what are they? / UNDECIDED AT PRESENT
At what age did you leave school? / 16
What is your current educational level? / UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT
Place of birth / COLCHESTER
Have you lived anywhere else but Colchester - if so please give details and duration. / LONDON AS A YOUNG CHILD - ONLY FOR A FEW MONTHS
Where were your parents born? / Mother / SCOTLAND / Father / COLCHESTER
Have either your mother or your father lived anywhere else but Colchester? If so please give details. / MOTHER - SCOTLAND
FATHER - LONDON
Place of birth of Grandparents / Grandmother
Grandmother / HALSTEAD
SCOTLAND / Grandfather
Grandfather / SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND
What is your relationship with the student recording you? / FRIEND, SHARED ACCOMODATION (FOREST ROAD) IN 1ST YEAR
Please give an indication of the topics discussed during the recording. / FOOTBALL, RELATIONSHIPS, UNIVERSITY
Network questions:-
Do you socialise in Colchester, if so where?
Do you work in Colchester, if so where?
Do other members of your family live and/or work and/or socialise in Colchester? / YES, VARIOUS PUBS AND CLUBS IN TOWN, UNIVERSITY, FOOTBALL
NO HAVE PREVIOUSLY, VARIOUS
WIFE LIVES WORKS AND SOCIALISES IN COLCHESTER
Month and Year of recording / 11.98
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 7, SPEAKER: COLCF22050008
Background Information Sheet 2004-5 Archive Code: 254-05-01
Age:22Sex:female
What part of Colchester do you live in?Wivenhoe
Speaker’s education:Currently at University
Speaker’s Employment:Legal secretary
If the speaker has a partner/wife/husband, where was he/she brought up, and what does that person do in the way of employment?
N/A
Where was the speaker’s father brought up?
Hatfield Peveral, Essex
And his/her mother?
Hatfield Peveral, Essex
Describe the social network ties this person has in the local community.
Works in a solicitors office in central Colchester, thus has an extensive network of associates in the local community, as well as forming a social network of friends that are involved in the same lines of work.
An applicable person for 2004-5’s cohort is someone who:
- If they are over 30 years old, has been in Colchester since the age of 5, and must not have been away for longer than 5 years at least 5 years ago;
- If they are under 30, they must have been in Colchester since the age of 5.
AND
- Has parents who were brought up in Essex or Suffolk.
Background Information Sheet 2005-6Archive Code:__254-06-07______
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 2, SPEAKER: COLCM27060002
Age:__27______Sex:_M______
What part of Colchester do you live in?__Greenstead______
Speaker’s Education:Speaker’s Employment:
University GraduateBar work
If the speaker has a partner/wife/husband, where was he/she brought up, and what does that person do in the way of employment?
Single
Where was the speaker’s father brought up?:And his/her mother?:
ScotlandScotland
Describe the social network ties this person has in the local community.
Educated at three levels in Colchester
Works in local bar/pub
Plays for community football team
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 104, SPEAKER:COLCM39990118
BACKGROUND INFORMATION SHEET[1]Age / 39
Sex / Male
Village/Town and part of town / Elmstead Market
Occupation / Builder
At what age did you leave school? / 16
What is your current educational level? / CSE
Place of birth and residence outside Colchester / Colchester
Where were your parents born? / Great Bromley (mother)
Berlin (father)
What are/were their jobs? / Father- precision engineer in mould making
Mother- care worker (retired)
Have either your mother or your father lived anywhere else but Colchester? If so please give details. / Father-Berlin
Mother- Great Bromley
Relationship with interviewer / Landlord
Topics discussed during the recording. / Music
House renovation
Motor racing
Films
Give an outline of social network activities in Colchester / Works in Colchester area
Shops in Colchester
Number of contacts in Colchester
(NEW, ONLINE CODES) RECORDING NR: 115, SPEAKER:COLCF31040130
Background Information SheetArchive Code:354-04-02______
Age:_____31______Sex:_female______
What part of Colchester do you live in?____High street______
Education/Employment:
Primary schools
Parents:
How long have they lived in Colchester? Father: 60 years
Mother: 56 years
Father’s Education:Mother’s Education: Primary school Primary school