General instructions

Before starting the interview

the field worker should have the following things ready:

- 2 pcs. of 13 cm diameter Polimer reel tape (one is replacement)

- 1 Uher tape recorder

- 1 (lavalier condenser) microphone

- 1 walkman cassette player

- 2 fresh batteries for the walkman cassette player

- 1 test cassette for the walkman cassette player

- 3 answer sheets entitled:

Same or different?

Which is correct?

How do you say it?

- 7 sheets containing the following reading passages:

1.

Jóska barátom ...

2.

Meghirdettem az újságban ...

3.

A hatodik óra után ...

4.

Pista, bonts fel ...

5.

Felmerült a gyanú ...

6.

Ezerszer megmondtam ...

7.

Hol van a fésu ...

- 1 stapler

- 1 staple remover

- 1 sheet of paper to staple together

- cards:

minimal pairs 20

word lists 11

fill-in sentences 7

demográfia 1

total 99

- log book

- the profile sheet of the informant supplied by the Survey to the field worker in advance.

At the start of the interview

the following headline information should be recorded onto the tape:

1.

the field worker's name: e.g. ``Gyula Molnár''

2.

date of the interview, e.g. ``12 October, 1988''

3.

type of the interview, i.e.``Budapest interview, 3rd version''

4.

the name of the informant can be omitted: ``TELL ME YOUR NAME IF YOU THINK YOU WANT TO GIVE IT BUT IT'S ALL RIGHT IF YOU DON'T FEEL LIKE IT.''

5.

tape identifier

For each interview

a completely new set of batteries must be purchased (at the Survey's cost) and the batteries MUST be discarded when the interview is over.

The sound quality

of the recording must be constantly monitored. Background noise must also be followed with attention. If, for example, the noise of a bus roaring by distorts the recording of a word list, the field worker should wait until the noise abates and the words should be read again.

The relation between informant and field worker and the confidential treatment of data

Let's try the following tactic:

(1) ``We know that people speak in different ways, that is to say, not everybody speaks like the radio and television announcers. A lifeguard speaks a little differently than a lathe operator. Textbooks do not reflect this variety in speech because linguists and textbook writers do not know the way various groups of people use language. We would like to know better the different linguistic varieties, that's why we would like to record a conversation with you on tape.''

(2) ``Should I ask you anything that you do not feel like answering, please do not hesitate to let me know and then I will immediately pass on to another question.''

(3) ``The recording with you will be handled confidentially. This means that only a few researchers will be entitled to listen to the tape, no one else. If parts of this conversation are published in a scholarly article, then any item that might possibly serve as clue to your identity e.g. personal names, street names etc. will be changed in a way that no one could recognize you''.

After completing the interview

- as soon as possible but no later than 12 hours after the interview was made, the field worker should record all the information that is indispensable for the analysis of the recording but which is not self-evident for an outsider e.g.

(a) possible gestures during speech, knowledge of which may help to interpret what is said and without which the text cannot be properly interpreted, e.g. ``This has fleas (pointing at the dog), but this one has none. (pointing at the cat)''.

(b) the interview setting changed at a given point because somebody (Mr/Mrs/ Miss So-and-so) entered the room whose presence visibly made the informant very tense.

- AFTER every interview the following page from the log book should be filled in:

• At the time of the interview the informant was

  -

  ill; in particular, he had:

  -

  was not ill

  -

  had a visible speech defect:

  -

  was hard of hearing

  -

  was under the effect of drugs or alcohol, its rate:

• In the opinion of the field worker, the informant was

  -

  extremely cooperative

  -

  cooperative

  -

  not cooperative

• general characterisation of the informant's speech by the field worker:

Also to be noted in the log book is any linguistically relevant event that is not recorded on the tape. For example, it is conceivable that an informant uses -suk/-sük forms in his vernacular, avoids such forms throughout the interview but as soon as the tape runs out starts producing them abundantly. Such an event must be recorded in as much detail as possible.

The field worker should also record every significant mistake that he/she was unable to correct on the spot and which may affect certain parts of the data. The precise location of such mistakes must be recorded in the log book and the mistake must be described in all possible detail.