Heritage Language Variation and Change in Toronto
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The HerLD Corpus | Software | Equipment | Calendar | REB / Ethics

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Overview of the research process: HLVC_Project_Overview.pdf (updated April 2024)

Software Used in HLVC Project

ELAN (download) You'll see a demo and manual there, too.

Transcription Guidelines

Coding with ELAN (preparing for multivariate analysis)

Tips and Instructions

Transcription Practice

Variationist Analysis and Endangered Language Documentation, Nagy & Meyerhoff, ICLDC 2013:

PPT slides (as PDF)

Handout 1: Recent Variationist Analysis of Endangered Languages

Handout 2: Useful references

Audacity: .wav file-editing freeware you can download for Windows, Mac or Linux. Useful for cutting up and pasting together .wav files.

The "Amplify" function is also useful for making .wavs louder.

For additional tips and tricks, see the HLVC_Audio_Filtering_protocol.pdf.

Praat is freeware for conducting acoustic analysis, and doing many other interesting things with spoken language. You can download it and try it out on almost any platform. You'll find a tutorial at the download page as well.

Installing_and_Using_Sendpraat.pdf (to use Praat from inside ELAN)

FTP for networking to another computer, such as the lab computer.

Using ftp on a Mac is easy.

Windows and Mac users should use FileZilla for file transfer. Here are FileZilla instructions.

You need the UofT VPN to use Fillezilla.

Misc.

Here's a site where you can convert documents to PDF files (so you can send them without losing formats and special fonts).

Fonts: DoulosSIL (download) for IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)

Recorders and Microphones

Samson Zoom H4 digital recorder (instruction sheet) and Zoom H4n

Marantz PMD 660 (instruction sheet)

Fostex (manual)

All fieldworkers and research assistants need to fill out an HLVC Lab Agreement, if they work in the lab or borrow equipment. Please contact Naomi about equipment for this project.

Calendar

Please use our Google calendar (HLVC Lab UofT) to indicate when you plan to work in the HLVC lab, and when you have recording equipment checked out. Please be sure to keep this up to date. Reserve your spot by adding your name and the name of the computer you will use to the Google calendar. Be sure the calendar displays any equipment you have checked out.

To add events, log in at: https://calendar.google.com. This version that you see here is read-only. All RAs should have access to edit this calendar, in order to keep us all informed of when you will be there. (Ask Naomi or Hilary to be added to the calendar.)

Research with Human Subjects

Ethics guidelines (U of T)

Documenting Interviews

Speaker Distribution table (blank PDF, for keeping track of your sample) download PDF

Interview catalog (blank sheets for fieldworkers) Download MODEL Excel spreadsheet.

About conducting sociolinguistic interviews:

The expert writes:

Labov, W. 1984. Field Methods of the Project on Linguistic Change and Variation. In J. Baugh & J. Sherzer (eds.) Language in Use. Englewood Cliffs, NH: Prentice Hall. (Available from ERIC) [See especially pp. 5-17 and 40-42.]

I also recommend listening to Labov's interview with Henry, which you'll find on the lab computer iMac1. It's a great example of the relaxed style of speech we are looking for.

Guidelines for online interviews for HLVC

General procedure:

  1. Participant consent letter - in English Download Word .doc | download PDF

  2. Long questionnaire (IV) (English interview script, in English -- other languages available to team members on server)

  3. Short questionnaire (EOQ) (Ethnic orientation questionnaire script, in English -- other languages available to team members on server)

    Adopted from: Keefe, Susan, and Amado Padilla. 1987. Chicano Ethnicity. Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press.

    Here is the spreadsheet to code each speaker's responses: EOQ_data_LANGUAGE.xls

    Here are the instructions on how to code each question: EOQ_coding.doc (not quite finalized, but working)

  4. Picture description task, using selected pages of Amery & Cartwright's book, First Hundred Words.

Payroll Information

The University will not pay you if you have not:

  • signed and returned a Letter of Offer that covers that dates of the work you submit
  • submitted your 2 tax forms, Direct Deposit Form, and New Employee form (forms are available here)

Be sure to plan time for book-keeping and signature BEFORE your payroll is due.

To be paid, your four forms listed at Personnel and Tax Forms must be properly on file in the Linguistics Department Business Office before the paydate.

FALL 2025 BI-WEEKLY deadlines for research assistants to email payroll sheet and log to Hilary, the Lab Manager:

  • Wednesday, September 10, 2025
  • Wednesday, September 24, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 8, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 22, 2025
  • Wednesday, November 5, 2025
  • Wednesday, November 19, 2025
  • Wednesday, December 3, 2025
  • Wednesday, December 15, 2025

FALL 2025 MONTHLY deadlines for research assistants to email payroll sheet and log to Hilary, the Lab Manager

  • Monday, September 15, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 16, 2025
  • Monday, November 17, 2025
  • Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Payroll timesheets and other forms for RAs: Submit this form, signed, to the Lab Manager by the above deadlines, accompanied by an activity log/progress report.

For any reimbursement, you must fill out this form: Personal Expense Reimbursement Form. Naomi needs to approve it and sign it before it is submitted. You need to include the receipt or TTC pass.

Website

Instructions for updating our website (PDF)