Ethical concerns for theoretical research in linguistics: Issues and best practices

Pritha Chandra, Roberta D'Alessandro*, Michael Putnam

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Although formal, e.g., generative, approaches to linguistic inquiry are primarily concerned with the analysis of structural patterns, ethical concerns for the elicitation and documentation of empirical data that motivate these analyses persist. In this article, we explicate the challenges to be met and responsibilities that formal linguists must take in data collection, documentation, and analysis to ensure high ethical standards. We direct our attention especially toward research on heritage, minoritized and endangered languages, which have enriched the theoretical landscape in recent decades. Finally, we show that, when proper ethical concerns are recognized and accounted for in formal research, this collective body of research in its current form is also fully capable of respecting the integrity of individual speakers and their communities.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages27
JournalLinguistics
Early online date10 Dec 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 10 Dec 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 the author(s), published by De Gruyter.

Funding

We wish to thank all our informants and the reviewers who provided very detailed and helpful feedback. This research received funding by the European Research Council under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (grant agreement ERC CoG 681959_MicroContact).

FundersFunder number
Horizon 2020
European Research Council681959

    Keywords

    • Rajbanshi
    • ethics
    • generative grammar
    • heritage Germanic
    • heritage Italian dialects
    • heritage linguistics

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