Microsoft Word 2 Steps phonological analysis doc

linguistic 

practice is variable 

by virtue of its significance for the ongoing construction of identity 

in social interaction. Linguistic practice is in certain cases so complex that it is hard to 

conceal that it has several different historical origins. 

2.1.5.

 

One more important aspect: frequency of use. Bybee (2001) has proposed a 

promising approach to phonology: frequency-based phonology. Although this approach 

needs much more elaborate corpora and much longer observation and study, never 

refrain from introducing 

statistics

 (token and type frequency) into your analysis: some 

sounds and/or structures are frequent, others less. It is important to take this into 

account. 

2.1.6.

 

What about the metalinguistic awareness of the speakers? Native-speaker intuition 

may sometimes provide useful information for analysis. Linguistic activities such as 

                                                 

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 As a phonologist, one may also be interested, as a matter of fact, in crosslinguistic comparison. 

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 Cf. Risager, Karen (2006). 

Language and Culture. Global Flows and Local Complexity

. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Ltd, pp. 

81-85. 

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3L Summer School – Leiden 2010  

Theory and practice of data collection for phonological analysis – Van der Veen, Medjo Mvé 

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