Conducting Interview Research in Linguistic Anthropology and Sociolinguistics

Conducting Interview Research in Linguistic Anthropology and Sociolinguistics examines interviews as contextualized, situated, and interactional speech events. It is a comprehensive guide through the creation, use, and the many possible outcomes of this key research method.

While interviews are used extensively across disciplines as diverse as anthropology, sociolinguistics, education, social history, and social psychology, this book highlights the use of the interview as a key research methodological and analytical tool in linguistic anthropology and sociolinguistics. Following a historical overview of the interview, Perrino presents its discursive and interactional dimensions with a special focus on how linguistic anthropologists and sociolinguists prepare, conduct, analyze, and practically use their interviews. Each chapter equips readers with the foundations to use interviews in their own research, providing helpful insights into ethical considerations and narrative formation. The text emphasizes the dynamic and ever-changing nature of interviews, reviewing various formats, including digital and remote interviews as well as applications in radio, tv, and beyond.

Interdisciplinary in nature, this book will be of interest to researchers and undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning about the many facets of this linguistic anthropological and sociolinguistic research method.