Assembling Concourse Material and Selecting Q Samples on the Sociolinguistics of Tourism Discourse in Zanzibar

Abstract

There are a variety of methods used in the field of linguistics. However, Q methodology has only rarely been employed and this article showcases one of the few linguistic studies to do so. Its focus is on assembling a concourse and compiling a Q sample, two of the basic and thus most important steps in the application of the method. While designed as a paired study at its inception, comparing tourists’ and hosts’ reasons for language choices in the tourist space of Zanzibar, this design could not be maintained given the concourse data based on the literature and on previous fieldwork. Thus, the article emphasizes the necessity for a researcher’s flexibility during the research process and the continuous re-evaluation of research designs by letting the data speak for itself and recognizing participants as co-producers of knowledge. As such, it contributes importantly to the field of linguistics in advancing it methodologically, while at the same time making a contribution to the development of Q methodology as a conversation analytical tool.