Questions on Methodology

Résumé En

In this paper, I wish to present a reflection on the methodology of approaching people when collecting oral data in different settings. In my previous and present research projects, I have asked authorizations of recordings in French to non-natives of French (students, workers, elderly), to French native speaking workers and to very elderly French natives.In the presentation of a project and request of agreement, many things are at stake: - the professional image of the scientist (credibility, honesty, rigor, objectivity, etc.), - the relationship that is building up between the researcher and the participant or the N+1 of the participant in workplaces (reliability, trust, hierarchy, invasiveness in the private/professional space, etc.) and - the idea that the participant has of the project (which can impact on his/her way to speak).For every research project, I plan on a way to present the project, I put it to the test and find ways to improve it. The approach of the institutions and participants is crucial in data collection: it impacts on the amount of collectible data, on the benevolence of the participants and on the characteristics of the people who agree. I would like to share my experience, to show the criteria taken into account in the first place, and those that I discovered in the pre-tests and that lead me to modify my approach. I will present the diverse versions of the texts of presentation, the recordings of the presentations when I have them, the kinds of answers obtained, and the arguments the participants or non-participants gave me when they disagreed to participate or when they refused one of the requests. I hope to show the concrete impact of project presentation and request to participate (the words used, the quantity of information given, etc.) in a research project on the answers. Delavigne V. (2013) “Quand le linguiste devient acteur: vulgarisation médicale et prescription linguistique”, paper at the CRELA conference, Nancy, 14-16 Nov.Oursel E. (2013) Des interactions de service entre francophones natifs et non natifs, Analyse de la gestion de l’intercompréhension et perspectives didactiques. PhD thesis defended on the 12th of December at the University Sorbonne nouvelle, supervised by Sophie Moirand and Richard Duda.Perry F. L. Jr. (2005) Research in Applied Linguistics. Lawrence Erlbaum Ass., Mahwah (NJ, US).