https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/storyboards/issue/feed Semantic Fieldwork Methods 2024-11-13T10:42:28-08:00 Lisa Matthewson Lisa.Matthewson@ubc.ca Open Journal Systems <p><em>Semantic Fieldwork Methods </em>is dedicated to the discussion of innovative techniques and materials for use in semantic and pragmatic fieldwork. We invite contributions which explain and illustrate how hypotheses about meaning can be tested in a fieldwork setting. </p> https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/storyboards/article/view/197041 Multiple Methods for Exploring TMA Marking in a Fieldwork Setting 2023-01-12T16:05:36-08:00 Hannah Davidson hd536@cam.ac.uk <p class="p1">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.</p> 2024-11-13T00:00:00-08:00 Copyright (c) 2024 Hannah Davidson