Oral Culture Transcription Toolkit/Interview Questions

To keep the data approachable, it is necessary that you make it available in the native language itself. Additionally, you can also translate it to English and other widely-used languages as the more languages the data is available in, the more people it is accessible to. You can practice this by including an introduction in the language of your choice, creating subtitles and uploading them along with the recorded interviews and videos. Information on how to create media and subtitles and upload them on wikis is available in the ‘Wiki workflow’ section. The list of questions below (all sections) have been inspired by Jewish Languages Documentation and Revitalization toolkit, created by Wikitongues and Living Tongues. The questions from section 2 to 5 are from the latest version of the that toolkit.

Elicitation Tips

General instructions on navigating the interview section of this toolkit: there are several questions in this section, it can take up to 8 hours to get responses to each one of them. So we suggest that those questions are picked that are appropriate for the interview subject. For example, if the interviewee knows folk songs, it would be good to begin with a few introductory questions and record the folk songs. If the person knows some folk tales, local history, then ask them to narrate them. Subjects for oral history recording can also include narrative about the subject’s personal experience/life during a major historical event, like the Indo-Pak partition, the 1984 anti-Sikh riots etc.

Example questions for folk songs and folk tales

Following questions can be asked to capture oral culture material like folk songs and folk tales in a short time:

1. Are there any songs in this language that are sung upon childbirth?
2. Are there songs for the tonsuring ceremony?
3. Do you know the term/s for the types of folk songs in your language?
4. What are the different types of songs for various traditions of marriage?
5. Do you have a song for any medicinal tree or plant?
6. Do you know any folktales with a hero/heroine?
7. Can you narrate any folktale exclusive to this language or which is a variant of a popular story?
8. Are there any songs about the forest, or earth, or the sea in this language?
9. Are there any songs about crop sowing and harvest/agriculture in this language?
10. Are there any songs about animals in this language?
11. Do you know any songs which are sung at the occurrence of happiness or sadness?

In essence, the interviewer needs to ask the interviewee about oral culture content that they can share, whether songs, stories, or history. These can be woven with questions from the ‘Interview section’ that would reveal more about the subject and any demographic details. The interviewer would have to utilize their discretion regarding which questions to ask from the list of interview questions. If the interviewer and interviewee have time, they can cover questions exclusively from the interview questions as well.

Things to remember:

• Obtain consent of the participant while the video is being recorded. Alternatively, a consent can also be signed by the interviewees. The format for it is available in the 'Audio-Video Documentation' section of this toolkit.
• Record these details: name of the interviewee, language being used, time, and date in the audio/video file being recorded.
• Make sure to note down the lyrics of the folk songs/words you do not understand, so that it does not get tough to transcribe the videos later on.
• While transcribing, remember to write down the lyrics in the original language. Transliterating the folk songs is the priority, since it is important to document the original lyrics/words of the oral culture in any given language. The script used to transcribe can be different than the language documented.
• Translation of the recorded content in another language should not be prioritised over transliteration, for reason stated in the previous point.

Interview Questions

In order to elicit languages with a large number of vocabulary and a variety of grammar, morphology, syntax, prosody, you can ask questions from the following oral culture elicitation protocol. If you ask every question on the list, it will take 8 hours ideally. These questions have been collected with the intention to aid with documentation of oral history. These questions elicit information about a culture in the oral medium, thus proving effective as a medium of recording of oral culture, an antidote to lack of documentation of a culture and lack of published books by increasing visibility of the culture and language in question.

This list of questions has been inspired by Jewish Languages Documentation and Revitalization toolkit, created by Wikitongues and Living Tongues.

Section 1: Local Culture

1. Describe your sense of religious identity. What does your religion mean to you personally?
2. How are childbirth and marriage celebrated in your community/culture?
3. What traditions were observed during Coming of Age celebration?
4. How do you like to celebrate holidays like Christmas, New Year, Baisakhi, Diwali, Id, Pongal, Pateti, Paryushana Parva, Holi etc.?
5. Describe your relationship with your religion and with the larger community of your religion.
6. Have you or your family lived through any major historical events? Describe how you were affected, as well as your reaction and how they contributed to your worldview.
7. Describe your relationship with the place of origin of your religion/ have you been on any pilgrimage?
8. Have you or your family lived through any major historical events? Describe how you were affected, as well as your reaction and how they contributed to your worldview.
9. What is your opinion on the current state of the community you were born to?
10. What is the most important improvement that we can make to our culture?
11. Do you participate in/ undertake any cultural or religious activities? If so, please explain in detail.
12. Are there any festivals around celebration of heritage in your community? If yes, what traditions are observed?
13. Are there any festivals around celebration of nature in your community? If yes, what traditions are observed?

Note: The questions of Section:1 are related to the Indian culture, the interviewee should adapt them to their local culture.

Section 2: Early Life & Identity

Birth and culture

1. When and where were you born? (Keep in mind in some places in the world, such as Papua New Guinea, it is not socially acceptable to ask a person’s name and age when you first meet them.)
2. What is your family’s cultural background? (Do your mother and father come from the same ethnicity or from different ethnicities?) Please describe in detail.
3. What is your family’s religious background? Was religion observed in your home? If religion was observed in your home, how was it observed?

Language(s)

1. Which languages did your parents speak during your childhood? Which languages did your grandparents speak?
2. What are the native languages that you learned to speak fluently while growing up? What other languages did you understand but did not necessarily speak fluently?
3. Describe your current relationship with your language(s). Do you feel a strong cultural connection to any of the languages that you speak?

Community, Origins and Migration

1. Describe the community (or communities) you grew up in. Was it urban or rural?
2. Other than your own cultural group, what other cultural groups lived in your community? Other groups can include people from different religions, ethnicities, castes, etc.
3. Does your family originate from the place you grew up, or from a different place? What do you know about that place? Have you ever visited it?

Family Memories & History

1. What do you remember about your grandparents?
2. Did you grow up hearing about any of your early ancestors whom you never met?
3. Have you lived through any major historical events? Describe how you and your family were affected by these events.

Economics

1. What were your family's economic circumstances? Do you remember any times when your family faced economic difficulties? Please describe.
2. What skills and activities did you learn while you were growing up? Who taught you these skills? Skills and activities can include fishing, hunting, farming, cooking, carpentry, crafts, weaving, specific sports, and many other important things.

Education & Pastimes

1. What were your favorite subjects in school?
2. Describe your sibling(s) and your interactions with them when you were young. Were you very close in age? Did you attend school together?
3. What did you do in your spare time during your adolescence?

Food

1. What are some of the foods you ate when you were growing up?
2. Who prepared these foods for your family?

Section 3: Adult Life & Changes Over Time

Occupation

1. What occupation(s) did you want to pursue when you were a child? Why?
2. Describe your current occupation. Where do you work?
3. Describe how you chose your occupation. Do you wish to stay in this occupation?
4. What are some of the difficulties related to your job/employment?

Local Celebrations

1. What festivals does your family celebrate in a normal year?
2. Can you describe some of your local friends? What kinds of activities do you do together?

Family Life & Health

1. If you are in a relationship, how did you meet your current partner (husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, significant other)? What brought you together?
2. Are you married? If so, can you describe your wedding celebration?
3. Did you have children? If so, how many children do you have, and how old are they?
4. What types of sports, games and pastimes have you been involved with in your life?
5. How do you maintain your level of health?
6. What are your favorite foods that are unique to your culture or region?

Qualities

1. Describe your personality. What are some of your strengths?
2. What things in your life are the most important to you right now?
3. What qualities do you look for in your friendships and relationships?
4. Are there any cultural or humanitarian causes that are important to you? Please describe.

Future Goals

1. What are your immediate goals for the future?
2. What are your long-term goals for yourself and your family?

Reflections on Change

1. How have you changed since your childhood? How has your community changed since your childhood?

Changes to Language and Culture

1. What aspects of your language do you find unique?
2. How do different generations of your community interact with their language?
3. What changes do you think might happen to your culture and language in the near future?
4. Do you have any advice for future generations?

Section 4: Cultural Topics

Storytelling

1. Are stories in your language written in books, or are they mostly told orally?
2. In which places and during which events do you hear stories told in your language?
3. Are there any particular authors or storytellers in your language who are important to you? Please describe.
4. Can you tell me a folktale that you remember hearing as a child or adolescent?

Music

1. Please describe the traditional music of your culture. What instruments are used?
2. How does the music make you feel? Are there any particular musicians who are important to you?
3. Are you a musician, or do you know any musicians personally?
4. What other musical styles did you grow up listening to?
5. When do you listen to music in your daily life, and how do you access it? Do you listen to musicians in person, or do you listen to recorded music?

Food

1. Are food and cooking  important in your life?
2. What are some foods from your culture that you highly recommend?
3. Who taught you how to cook?

Fashion, Clothing, and Textiles

1. Describe the traditional clothing of your culture.
2. What clothing and clothing styles did you grow up with?
3. Do you currently wear any traditional clothes? Please describe if you wear them everyday or for specific occasions. If on specific occasions, which occasions?
4. Describe any pieces of clothing that hold a particular significance to you.

Gender Identity and Expression

1. What genders are recognized in your community?
2. How are the genders of your community expected to conduct themselves?
3. Are genders in your community today the same as when you were a child?

Section 5: Daily Life & Environment

1. Describe a typical day in your life (this year).
2. Describe your appearance and choice in clothing for daily activities.
3. What are your preferred methods of transport? Do you enjoy traveling? How do you get to work?
4. Describe the architecture of your area, as well as the traditional architecture of your culture.
5. Describe the physical geography of your area.
6. Describe the kinds of animals that live in your area.
7. Describe the kinds of plants that live in your area.
8. What big technological advancements have you experienced? Which have been the most meaningful to you and why?
9. What are your preferred modes of communication? How have methods of communication changed during your life?
10. Is there any other information that you would like to share about your daily life?

Oral Culture Transcription Toolkit [translate]

Documentation of oral culture ensures the preservation of culture as well as language. This toolkit gives detailed instructions on how to record oral culture, how to upload them on Wikimedia Commons, to create a transcription and upload it on Wikisource. A list of interview questions for successful elicitation of the language and culture of the community has also been included.

Audio-Video Recording [translate]

How to create high-quality videos and audios for language documentation? These tips help you navigate audio-visual recording with ease.

Wiki Workflow [translate]

Learn how to upload recorded videos on Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia's media repository. Also learn how to transcribe the videos and upload them on Wikisource, Wikimedia's digital library.