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Language Surveyor Language Surveyors help assure that situational information and preliminary sociolinguistic analysis are available regarding languages and peoples in a particular geographical area. Surveyors work on a team under the direction of an experienced language assessment specialist." /> <meta property="og:updated_time" content="2020-05-05T18:34:08-05:00" /> <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:url" content="https://www.sil.org/training/language-assessment" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Language Assessment" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="Language Assessment personnel gather community information to support strategic language development planning. They also contribute expertise to monitoring language development progress. 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</div> </div> </div> <div class="main-container container"> <div class="row"> <section class="col-md-8 main-content-column"> <div id="page-title"> <h1 class="page-title">Language Assessment</h1> </div> <a id="main-content"></a> <div class="region region-content"> <section id="block-system-main" class="block block-system clearfix"> <div class="ds-1col node node-expertise-page view-mode-full clearfix"> <div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><p><em>Language Assessment personnel gather community information to support strategic language development planning. They also contribute expertise to monitoring language development progress.</em></p> <p><strong>Language Surveyor</strong></p> <p>Language Surveyors help assure that situational information and preliminary sociolinguistic analysis are available regarding languages and peoples in a particular geographical area.</p> <p>Surveyors work on a team under the direction of an experienced language assessment specialist. Surveyors gather both secondary data from libraries, the internet, journals, and linguistic seminars, and primary data through social, linguistic, and sociolinguistic research.</p> <p>Recommended academic training: Coursework substantially equivalent to the following SIL standard courses:</p> <ul> <li>Phonetics</li> <li>Cultural Anthropology</li> <li>Language and Culture Learning</li> <li>Language and Society</li> <li><a href="https://sil.csod.com/LMS/catalog/Welcome.aspx?tab_page_id=-67&tab_id=20000502">Introduction to Language Development</a></li> <li>Language Survey Principles</li> <li>Phonology</li> </ul> <p><strong>Language Assessment Specialist</strong></p> <p>Language Assessment Specialists lead language survey teams, or assist communities or language development teams to do sociolinguistic research in support of sound language development planning.</p> <p>Language Assessment Specialists generally complete a 2-year term of work as a Language Surveyor. Additional training for this role includes the courses required for the Language Surveyor role plus additional professional development in at least one of these following areas:</p> <ul> <li>Linguistics (at least two of the following): <ul> <li>Morphology and Syntax</li> <li>Linguistic Field Methods</li> <li>Advanced Phonology</li> <li>Historical and Comparative Linguistics</li> </ul> </li> <li>Sociolinguistics (at least two of the following): <ul> <li>Advanced Sociolinguistics</li> <li>Language Contact</li> <li>Language Program Planning & Implementation</li> </ul> </li> <li>Research methods (at least two of the following): <ul> <li>Linguistic Field Methods</li> <li>Social Science Research Design</li> <li>Statistical Methods for Social Science</li> </ul> </li> <li>Community involvement (at least two of the following): <ul> <li>Ethnographic Methods</li> <li>Community Development</li> <li>Scripture Use</li> <li>Training Across Cultures</li> </ul> </li> </ul> <p><strong>Language Survey Consultant</strong></p> <p>Language Assessment Consultants have broad experience in language assessment. 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