Managing sign language data from fieldwork.

Abstract

Surprisingly little information is available about how linguists who are documenting sign languages are managing their data. This case study is based on my experiences of documenting Indonesian Sign Language (BISINDO) from 2010 onwards through the construction of a corpus of spontaneous data from 131 participants. This discussion of data management reflects some of the particular challenges of being based in the UK while conducting fieldwork in the ‘global South’, and includes informed consent, collecting data with the community, and making decisions about data processing. I also consider where those who are new to this field might find information about sign language data management, and future directions for managing sign language documentation data.