Adopting Triangulation as an Attempt to Square the Circle: Swipe up for More

Abstract

Using reflections on research conducted on the speech communities of Esperanto and Emilian, this article focuses on methods of data collection and participant recruitment in studies on minoritized languages whose vitality partly depends on the attitudes and ideologies embodied in the community. The article is divided into two self-contained yet closely related sections. In the first part, a model for triangulation as a methodological framework for language attitude research is outlined as a theoretical contribution to the toolbox of methodologies used in the field. The model proposes a research design that includes a qualitative/quantitative method at the micro level, a qualitative/quantitative method at the meso level, and an ethnographic dimension at the individual, subjective level. The second part of the article is a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications of using Instagram and its Story function as strategies for participant recruitment, dissemination, and data collection when travelling and fieldwork are not possible, such as during the period of Covid-19. The social media platform is here presented as an opportunity to reach younger generations and therefore as apt for data collection for studies interested in language attitudes.