Workshops

Introducing R for Sociolinguistic Analysis: In the first workshop, we offer a general introduction to R. Topics to be covered include importing and manipulating data and computing basic descriptive and inferential statistics (chi-squares, t-tests, correlations). No prior knowledge of R is required.

When & Where

When: 05 of March 2024, 16:15-17:45
Where: F-112, Unitobler

The workshop will introduce students to the analysis of narratives as social and semiotic practices. We will first provide some background on how interactional approaches to narrative analysis have evolved from the 1990’s to the present and on how they have challenged text-based definitions of stories by privileging their study in context. We will then discuss some of the differences between storytelling in face-to-face encounters and in digital contexts and will present concrete examples of analyses of stories published on social media platforms.

When & Where

When: 26 of March 2024, 16:15-17:45
Where: F-112, Unitobler

The second workshop discusses regression modelling in R. Topics to be covered include how to build and interpret regressions models (linear and logistic) and how to perform common post-hoc tests of model results. A basic understanding of the R platform is assumed.

When & Where

When: 09 of April 2024, 16:15-17:45
Where: F-112, Unitobler

This workshop will introduce students to sociolinguistic ethnography as a lens to document and analyse language practice, ideology and policy. In the first part, we will locate ethnography in anthropology, then discuss its interpretative and post-structuralist stances and finally present critical ethnographic sociolinguistics. In the second part, we will explore how to design an ethnographic study with concrete examples from past studies. We will mainly discuss participant observation, semi-structured interviews and textual analysis as key methods, but we will also touch upon issues of access, multi-sitedness and historicity that are central to ethnography.

When & Where

When: 06 May 2024, 16:15-17:45
Where: F011, Unitobler

This third workshop covers alternative approaches to quantitative data analysis, including Principal Components Analysis and clustering methods. Time permitting, a brief introduction to plotting model results in R will also be offered.

When & Where

When: 07 of May 2024, 16:15-17:45
Where: F-112, Unitobler