ABSTRACT
This part introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in next subsequent chapter. The part considers several questions that a researcher might ask before choosing to work with written data. It addresses a basic question that often remains unanswered: once we have a bunch of data, what do we do with those data? In particular, how do we make sure that sociolinguistically useful data remain available and known to other researchers? The part addresses some of the concerns specific to online data. The part presents a detailed breakdown of the characteristics of online language (text) and social organization (place) that may require consideration. It explores the issues and challenges associated with adapting existing data to the needs of sociolinguists. The part focuses on historical processes actually requires the use of written data, as recordings rarely give us access to speakers born before about 1880–see, for example, work on the ex-slave recordings, and Quebec folklore recordings.
