Wordlist comparisons Recorded Text Test RTT

3.3 Instruments

We administered the following instruments using Nepali andor the target language where possible. Questions used within each of these instruments were translated into Nepali and pilot tested prior to using them in fieldwork.

3.3.1 Wordlist comparisons

Description and Purpose: A comparison of wordlists is made to estimate the degree of lexical similarity between the speech varieties the wordlists represent. Procedure: Wordlists were elicited in Nepali from mother tongue Yamphu and Lohorung speakers and were transcribed by the researchers using the International Phonetic Alphabet IPA. In order to ensure that the wordlists represent the speech variety in each location, a group of at least three speakers was involved in the wordlist elicitation. A lexical similarity analysis was carried out on each pair of wordlists. See Appendix C-1 for a detailed description of the method. Sampling: A group of at least three people participated in the wordlist elicitation in each village. Advantages: Data collection is relatively efficient. Wordlists can provide some broad insights into possible dialect groupings. Disadvantages: Above 60, wordlist comparison is not conclusive regarding intelligibility between speech varieties.

3.3.2 Recorded Text Test RTT

Description and Purpose: Subjects listen to recorded stories, with comprehension questions asked at various intervals throughout the stories. This helps in the assessment of subjects’ understanding of and attitudes toward actual samples of the language from various areas. Procedure: A narrative story from a particular speech variety was recorded. It was then played for people, in other Yamphu and Lohorung communities, who were not told the story’s place of origin. After listening to each story, subjects answered questions about their understanding of and opinions toward the speech variety used by the storyteller. The tests were administered first in the community the speaker was from to ensure we had a representative recorded text from that variety. This is referred to as the home town test. See Appendix D-1 for a full description of the RTT method. Sampling: Using the four criteria listed in section 3.2, people of varying age, gender, and education level were chosen to take the RTT. At least ten people were tested in each site. The Lohorung RTT was used in Hedangna, and Rajarani. The Yamphu RTT was administered in Gairi Pangma, Hedangna, Seduwa, Devitar, and Rajarani. Advantages: By using actual samples of selected speech varieties, an initial assessment of intelligibility and attitudes can be made. Disadvantages: This test can be time consuming to develop. The type of RTT used in this survey only evaluates basic understanding of narrative texts. In addition it does not measure reading and writing ability in the second dialect.

3.3.3 Informal interviews