The Problem with No-Nonsense Elicitation Plans (for Semantic Fieldwork)
Meagan Louie · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2015
This chapter contrasts two methods of creating an elicitation plan. The no-nonsense method results in an elicitation plan in which the consultant is systematically presented with context-utterance minimal pairs, with no attempt at making a narrative connection between succeeding examples. This methodology maximizes the elicitor’s for collecting true minimal pairs, but is often boring and mentally straining on the language consultant. The second method embeds the context-utterance minimal pairs in a natural, overarching storyline. This method often induces pragmatic and stylistic flairs on the part of the language consultant (and hence is less successful at collecting true minimal pairs). This chapter argues that the second type of elicitation plan is nonetheless preferable, as it (i) yields stronger and more reliable judgments and (ii) is better at detecting extra-sentential factors that may affect a morpheme or construction’s truth/felicity judgments.