LEDS first session of 2019-20: Introducing linguistic ethnography – Wednesday 16th October

The Linguistic Ethnography Discussion and Study Group (LEDS) is a Cardiff-based forum for collaborative exploration of questions about how social and linguistic processes are interrelated, and about how and why ethnographic methods can be usefully combined with approaches to studying language.  

Meetings of LEDS will be running in 2019-20 at Cardiff University, co-ordinated by member Judith Reynolds (Lecturer within the Cardiff Centre for Language and Communication Research).   Everyone is welcome, including both Cardiff-based students and researchers, and those based further afield.  A short description of the group, and examples of past discussion and study topics, can be found on our blog: https://blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/leds/.

Our first meeting in 2019-20 will take place on Wednesday, 16^th October from 4.30 – 5.30pm in Room 3.58, John Percival Building (Colum Drive Campus), Our first session will introduce the group, and discussion will focus on the topic “Introducing linguistic ethnography – the benefits of combining linguistic and ethnographic methods in researching social life”. We will discuss what ethnography means for us, primarily as linguistic researchers, both in theory and in practice.

Whatever your knowledge and experience of linguistic ethnography, you are welcome to attend.  You may be a seasoned linguistic ethnographer; or perhaps it’s the first time you have heard the term linguistic ethnography and you are intriguingly confused. If you have interactional data concerning language use in a particular social environment that you are starting to analyse and interpret, or if you are planning to use ethnographic methods to investigate a social setting and language use within it, or if you would simply like to find out more, please come along and meet the group!

More about our sessions

LEDS sessions are very informal, and generally feature a broad topic-based discussion on a question, issue or topic chosen by a group member.  Subjects could range from general questions about ethnographic methods in research about language, to specific data or ethical dilemmas. Browse our blog site for an idea of our activities.

In the past, LEDS sessions have run for an hour, with an optional further half an hour available for discussions for those able to stay (i.e. until 6pm). We will discuss the exact format for 2019-20 meetings at our first meeting on 16^th October.  Possible topics for future meetings, and a schedule, will also be discussed. If you cannot make the first meeting but would like to get involved at some point or have any suggestions, do get in touch by email with Judith (reynoldsj15@cardiff.ac.uk). We look forward to seeing you!