Linguistic research relies heavily on data collected through face-to-face communication with language speakers. Often, and especially in variationist sociolinguistics, researchers gather instances of naturalistic speech through interviews conducted in settings in which speakers feel comfortable.

 

The drastic changes in communication and mobility caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have introduced unprecedented challenges to collecting these highly-valued types of language data. Face-to-face interviews are almost impossible to arrange in most countries due to rules related to social distancing or wearing face masks. On top of that, many researchers may not be able to reach their data-collection sites due to travel disruptions. The alternative of using online channels for data collection presents further challenges, which are yet to be identified, explored, or dealt with. For example, conducting interviews via Zoom, etc., makes it difficult for the researcher to create an equivalent naturalistic environment in which speakers can talk freely. It also limits interview subjects to those who have access to online channels.

 

This situation presents a fundamental challenge to sociolinguistic research, as its principal source of data is difficult to obtain.

 

Early-career researchers are particularly adversely affected by this, because they have yet to collect data for their research. This also means that they are the most likely to experience longer-term effects of disruptions to data collection. This is precisely the issue that this project aims to tackle.