Ep 16: Remote Fieldwork with Richard T. Griscom

This week’s episode is with Richard T. Griscom, a post-doctoral researcher at Leiden University. Richard obtained his bachelor’s and PhD degrees from the University of Oregon. Richard’s research focuses on language documentation, fieldwork methodology, and functional-typological linguistic description and theory, with a special emphasis on the languages of East Africa. Over the past five years, he has been working with the Asimjeeg Datooga and the Hadzabe, both endangered minority language communities of northern Tanzania. He is a recipient of two grants from the Endangered Languages Documentation Programme and is a depositor at the Endangered Languages Archive. 

Things mentioned in this episode:

• Firebird Foundation
• Datooga language
• Documentation of Isimjeeg Datooga (ELAR deposit)
• Hadza language
• Nilotic language family
• Bantu language family
• Cushitic language family
• The Linguistic Geography of Africa (chapter referenced: The Tanzanian Rift Valley Area by Roland Kießling, Maarten Mous, and Derek Nurse)
• Richard’s website

Richard’s equipment:

• Camcorders: Panasonic HC-X920, Sony FDR-AX53 with HVL-LEIR1, Panasonic HC-V800, GoPro Hero7
• Microphones: Shure SM 35 XLR headset, RODE NTG-2 shotgun, Rode NT4 stereo, Audio-technica AT803b lavalier
• Audio Recorders: Zoom H4n, Zoom H5
• Android smartphones (Techno W4) + RODE smartLav + microphones
• Anker solar panel + USB battery charger
• Anker power banks
• Eneloop rechargeable Ni-MH batteries
• Toshiba hard drives
• Lenovo Thinkpad
• Anker bluetooth keyboard
• UE Bluetooth speakers
• Laptops: Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon, HP Stream
• non-mobile solar systems (similar)
• Rode wireless system: RX-CAM & TX-XLR

Listen here, or on your favorite podcast app! Field Notes is available on Apple Podcasts app (iPhone), Google Play Music (Android), Google Podcasts app (Android), Stitcher, Spotify, Podbean, Podcast Republic, Castbox, Player FM, and several other apps via RSS.