Autobiographic Narratives as Data in Applied Linguistics

Abstract

In the past decade, language memoirs, linguistic autobiographies, and learners’ journals and diaries have become a popular means of data collection in applied linguistics. It is not always clear however how one should go about analyzing these data. The aim of this paper is to offer a critical review of analytical frameworks applied to second language users’ personal narratives. I discuss the strengths and weaknesses of these frameworks in relation to the type of information they seek: subject reality, life reality, and text reality. I argue that some analytical approaches, in particular content and thematic analyses, are insensitive to the interpretive nature of autobiographic data. Subsequently, I offer recommendations for systematic analysis of bi- and multilinguals’ narratives on macro- and micro-levels in terms of content, context, and form.

Cite this

Aneta Pavlenko (2007). Autobiographic Narratives as Data in Applied Linguistics. Applied Linguistics. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amm008

@article{aneta2007autobiographic,
  title  = {Autobiographic Narratives as Data in Applied Linguistics},
  author = {Pavlenko, Aneta},
  year   = {2007},
  journal = {Applied Linguistics},
  doi    = {10.1093/applin/amm008}
}

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