66 and Khmer. They translated all responses in Kachok into Khmer so that the researcher
and the survey team could record them. The questionnaires were asked in Khmer language and translated orally into
Kachok by the Kachok interpreters in case the subject did not understand the Khmer language. Some of the questions like, “What language do the children in this village
learn to speak first?” were asked in the individual, Christian leader, group, and village leader SLQs. This is to validate the commonality of the answers to a specific SLQ.
All responses related or not related to the questions were recorded at the back of SLQs sheets or in a bound data notebook. All responses in Khmer or Kachok were
translated into English and finally entered into the excel worksheet. The following are the five sociolinguistic questionnaires:
3.5.1 Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire
In four of the nine villages, individual villagers were selected for interview, using quota sampling with age and gender as desired sample c.f. Table 13, p. 71.
Their answers were especially important in providing a picture of language vitality and language attitudes.
3.5.2 Village Leader Sociolinguistic Questionnaire
In each of seven villages, the village leader was interviewed concerning the language situation of the village. In his absence, another Kachok leader - the
commune chief, deputy leader of the village, or someone else knowledgeable about the Kachok people and their language was interviewed instead.
67
3.5.3 School Teacher Questionnaire
In every village that has formal andor non-formal schools, a teacher at the primary school andor a literacy teacher were interviewed. This aided in gaining
insights into language vitality, children’s language use, and interest in language development.
3.5.4 Dialect Perceptions Group Questionnaire
In each of the nine 9 villages, two men and two women based on the sample size c.f. Table 14, p. 71 were interviewed together as a group. People who have had
contact with other Kachok villages were the target subjects. They were asked questions regarding similarities and differences between the way Kachok is spoken in
their village and the way Kachok is spoken in other villages.
3.5.5 Christian Leader Questionnaire
Taking the opportunity during the 12-day Bible School training held in Banlung, the provincial capital of Ratanakiri, the researcher administered the SLQ to
three Kachok Christian leaders. Many minority Christian leaders in Ratanakiri attended including Kachok leaders from three Kachok villages.
3.5.6 Informal Interviews and Observations
Observations and responses to the informal interviews that are relevant to the
research questions were noted in a bound data notebook all throughout the fieldwork. Personal observation was useful in validating language use data and observing which
68 languages were used in particular domains. Informal interviews and observations
were used to confirm the responses in SLQs. The evaluation of vitality of the language was also based on informal interviews and observation of language use and
attitudes of the Kachok speakers. Observation is a natural, indirect way to learn about people’s behaviour.
Throughout the fieldwork, this researcher and her team observed language use, social interaction, and other cultural experiences. The team spent time with people in their
villages, observing language use during everyday activities.
3.6 Subject and Interpreter Selection
3.6.1 Screening criteria for the subject
For the Dialect Perceptions Group Interview, subject was chosen based on these criteria:
1. Kachok is his mother tongue language.
2. Both parents are Kachok and spoke Kachok with the subject
when he was a child. 3.
The person must be within the age range of 17 up to 60. 4.
The person must have grown up and currently lives in the village which the researcher has surveyed.
69 For the Individual Sociolinguistic Questionnaire, the subject was chosen based
on these criteria: 1.
Kachok is his first language. 2.
Both parents are Kachok and spoke Kachok with the subject when he was child.
3. The person must be within the age range of 17 up to 60.
4. The person grew up and currently lives in the village which the
researcher has surveyed.
3.6.2 Screening criteria for the Kachok Interpreter
For choosing the language interpreter, the criteria are as follows: 1.
Kachok is his first language. 2.
Ethnically Kachok, that is, both parents are Kachok. 3.
The person understands and speaks clearly both Kachok and Khmer.
4. The person must have the time and willingness to cooperate as
language interpreter. 5.
The person grew up and currently lives in the Kachok area surveyed by the researcher.
