4.4 Tapping into the vernacular

As interviews, especially in western societies, are expected to follow a certain prescribed procedure, with turn-taking rights being very different from a conversation between peers, a more formal speech style being used by both the interviewer and the interviewee and brief answers being given in compliance, it is a good idea to change some of the internal and external factors of the event (cf. Milroy and Gordon 2001: 61, Milroy 1987a: 41-51; Milroy 1987b: 26).

The first issue to consider is that the dialect of interest often does not have a very high prestige and therefore people will try to use a more standard language. That is why convincing informants that their natural dialect is not inferior, but actually essential to the fieldworker's research is of great importance (cf. Vaux 1999: 152).

The second would be to try and convey that it is actually the informant who has a higher position of authority, with the fieldworker assuming the role of the learner, who needs to depend on the informant's participation in order to gather data (cf. Milroy 2001: 61; Tagliamonte 2006: 48).

The third is the previously mentioned usage of a casual, colloquial style or a style similar to the informant's as this will encourage him/her to maintain his natural manner of speech. For example, with adolescents, the use of youth language and the frequent insertion of the word 'like' in a non-traditional sense as commonly done in informal speech may prove helpful. Yet, the main thing to pay attention to is to always stay natural: An older fieldworker or professor using adolescent language in order to come across as hip or trendy will seem very awkward and be of no help to the project.

The fourth factor to consider is the aspect of familiarity which can have a significant impact on the type of language used. To gain familiarity (other than getting to know the informant through participant observation) the fieldworker can, for instance, emphasize some kind of common personal association as ethnicity, religion, place of origin or try to connect with the interviewee on an emotional level by adressing shared experiences such as the loss of a loved one etc. One example of this is provided by Tagliamonte (cf. 2006: 26), who was quite happy when it turned out that being of Italian origin did not count as being 'white' in the eyes of the African Nova Scotian community as there were racial riots going on. Also, the 'friend of a friend approach' may expedite the otherwise long process of becoming acquainted with someone. When approaching a new potential informant on someone else's recommendation he/she will feel more at ease. Using information from a previous interview to 'show off' insider knowledge and to indicate that one is an accepted and active member of a community may help as well. The fieldworker could, for instance, make references to relevant things going on in the community or address stories familiar to the informant. One must always be aware and observant of what the informant is saying (and not only how). The last tip concerning familiarity is not to underestimate food and drink. As 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach', a good researcher should never hesitate to have a taste of whatever his/her host might offer. It goes without saying that subsequently complementing the cook's matchless cooking skills will most definitely strengthen the bond between interviewer and interviewee (cf. Tagliamonte 2006: 45-47; Vaux 1999: 11-15; Bowern 2008: 9).

The fifth issue which needs to be taken into consideration is the matter of the choice of subject. It is of paramount importance that the fieldworker addresses topics that the informant will eagerly discuss (cf. Milroy and Gordon 2001: 60, 65). Only then will the latter get emotionally involved. One could, for example, opt to use the danger of death questions by Labov (cf. 1972a: 93) or simply ask the interviewee about his/her childhood experiences. Furthermore, it is best to at all times keep a notebook close at hand for writing down which informant has which interests and to be aware that items such as posters or CDs in the informant’s possession may give clues to topics of his/her interest. Another thing to keep in mind is that subjects such as politics and work ought to be avoided as they may elicit a formal speech-style. Also, the interviewer should be careful not to ask anything too personal. One must always remember that it is the language's form and usage that is of interest, not the content of what is being said. Therefore, more often than not, the fieldworker is well-advised to just be emphatic and listen. Sometimes discreet personal information is given freely, but one must be careful not to end up discussing a topic he/she was not trained to handle, e.g. domestic violence or rape (cf. Tagliamonte 2007: 38-39, 43).

The last possibility of changing a factor is to alter the type of interview or to exchange one interviewer for another who is more familiar with the informant. One of the most famous examples is provided by Labov (cf. 1972b) who was helped by two young African American Linguists with his research on the Black English Vernacular. The boys he intended to interview did not feel at ease talking to a 'white' person sitting at a desk strongly resembling a teacher or some kind of authoritative figure. They, however, changed their attitudes when introduced to one of the African American helpers who chose not to sit at the desk, but on the floor sharing food and drinks with his informants (cf. Milroy 1987b: 26-31). Alternatively one could also change the number of participants, by either calling in an additional interviewer or using more than one informant, whole groups even. The former would create a three-way conversation and make it possible for one interviewer to conduct the interview while the other could take care of the equipment. The latter would have the effect of the informants maintaining their natural manner of speech as, when interviewed in groups, participants often tend to use their insider-language even in a formal setting. Additionally, the fieldworker should always try to make the event as pleasant as possible. He/she could, for instance, conduct the interview during an after-dinner visit or a party. The only problem would be that while the interviewer could directly observe language in its every-day use, his/her control in terms of choosing the topic and keeping track of the various participants would considerably diminish. Also, there is always the chance of the recorded speech style not being the one the researcher is actually interested in (cf. Milroy 2001: 66-67, 71; Tagliamonte 2006: 20; Milroy 1987b: 27-42).

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