Using virtual reality for linguistic fieldwork

This paper reports on the use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology for linguistic data collection. Traditional verbal and 2D visual stimuli can be quite restricted in the context they provide, but thanks to VR technology, we can now get much closer to a full and natural context if we present speakers with a 360° vivid environment; one in which the linguistic factors to be studied are carefully controlled. We piloted VR technology for fieldwork by creating 360° videos, and tested these to study past tense in Spanish, and the interaction of focus and evidentiality in Xitsonga/Xichangana. We provide a detailed report of this proof-of-concept project, documenting all steps in the process. Semantic Fieldwork Methods, Vol. 6 No. 1 (2024): Vol. 6 No. 1 (2024): Gonzalez, Paz, Jenneke van der Wal, Claudia Berruti, V.T. van Doorn, Irina Morozova, Jai von Raesfeld Meyer, Thomas Vorisek: Using Virtual Reality for Linguistic Fieldwork