Multiple Methods for Exploring TMA Marking in a Fieldwork Setting
Mauritian Creole, a case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/sfm.v6i4.197041Keywords:
data triangulation, multiple methods, canonical approach, Mauritian Creole, TMA markingAbstract
No single test is robust or exhaustive enough to accurately establish the meaning of tense, mood and aspect (TMA) markers. This article explores the benefits of using canonical and statistical approaches and a variety of elicitation tasks. The testing ground for this multi-faceted approach is past marking in Mauritian Creole. Alongside common methods such as translation and acceptability judgements, data collection also included cloze tests with meta-discussion, narrative re-telling and interviews. Since each task has specific shortcomings, the data is best understood altogether, made possible due to analyzing all tasks within a common framework. The results show that two main past markers (TI and FINN) are generally in complementary distribution, and less common markers (FEK and Ø) broadly pattern with one of these, constituting a novel finding. Adopting this methodology allows for a finer-grained understanding of TMA marking and enables researchers to counteract specific biases associated with individual tasks.
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