Phonological Atlas of African American Language (PAAAL) Project
Hello and thank you for your interest in helping us learn more about Black language and culture.

If you meet the following criteria, please answer a few additional questions about yourself through this form. As space permits, we will follow up with you to schedule an interview. Thank you!

Qualifications (these will be verified):
  • 18-44 years old
  • Identify as African American
  • Born & raised in the U.S.
  • Native speaker of American English
  • No history of a hearing or speech disorder
  • Parents born & raised in the U.S.
Sign in to Google to save your progress. Learn more
Please enter your age below. *
Please enter your year of birth below.
I generally identify as... (check all that apply) *
Required
What was your assigned sex at birth? *
I generally identify as... *
To help us confirm you're a real person, please answer this question: What is the color of the sky on a clear day? *
Required
Were all of your childhood caregivers born and raised in the United States? *
Were your grandparents born and raised in the United States? *
Which U.S. state or territory did you spend most of your childhood (ages 3 to 17)? *
Did you live in this state/territory for most of your childhood (ages 3 to 17)? *
Required
Have you lived in this same state/territory for most of your adult life (age 18 and older)?
(Answer yes if you left for under 4 years)
 *
Which major city did you grow up closest to?
example: Atlanta
 *
About how far away from that city did you live? *
What is your highest education level? *
To help us confirm you're a real person, please answer this question: What is 3 + 4?
*
Required
What is (are) your native language(s)?  
Your native language is the first language you learned to speak and understand, or the one you used most in early childhood.
Check more than one if you grew up speaking more than one language naturally.
 *
Required
What other languages can you speak fluently?  
 *
Required
Do you have a history of hearing or speech disorder? *
Will you be able to participate in an online interview using Zoom? *
Do you have the ability to record yourself during the interview using a cell phone (must be a second, separate device from the Zoom device)? We will ask you to upload a file of this recording. *
Clear selection
For planning purposes, what type of cellphone (details including brand & model) will you use for recording?
(i.e., Motorola Moto G Power, Samsung S22, iPhone 15 Pro) *
First Name *
Last Name *
Please provide your contact information below for scheduling an interview.
(email address or phone number) *
When are you likely to be available for a 45 minute video conference? (check all that apply) *
Required
How did you hear about us? *
Please read this consent form and let us know whether you consent to including your interview in this project. 

You are being asked to participate in a research study. Scientists do research to answer important questions that might help change or improve the way we do things in the future. This document will give you information about the study to help you decide whether you want to participate. Please read this form, and ask any questions you have, before agreeing to be in the study.

All research is voluntary. You can choose not to take part in this study. If you decide to participate, you can change your mind later and leave the study at any time. You will not be penalized or lose any benefits if you decide not to participate or choose to leave the study later.

The purpose of this study is to investigate language in African American communities.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in our research. We are asking you if you want to be in this study because you indicated that you were raised in the United States and identify as Black/African American. The study is being conducted by Monica Nesbitt, assistant professor of linguistics at Indiana University.

If you agree to be in the study, you will do the following things: You'll take part in a casual conversation about life and language in your community, followed by reading a word list and a short passage. The interview lasts under an hour and is a one-time event.

Before agreeing to participate, please consider the risks and potential benefits of taking part in this study. There is a risk someone outside the study team could get access to your research information from this study. More information about how we will protect your information to reduce this risk is below. We don’t think you will have any personal benefits from taking part in this study, but we hope to learn things that will help researchers in the future.

You will be paid for participating in this study. You will receive a $20 Visa e-giftcard for participating in this study. There is no cost to participate in the study.

We will protect your information and make every effort to keep your personal information confidential, but we cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. No information which could identify you will be shared in publications about this study. The PI and other lab personnel will be the only people to have access to the audio recordings. Short excerpts of this recording may be shared during publication. In this instance, your personal information will be detached from these excerpts to ensure that no one can identify you.

Your personal information may be shared outside the research study if required by law. We also may need to share your research records with other groups for quality assurance or data analysis. These groups include the Indiana University Institutional Review Board or its designees, and state or federal agencies who may need to access the research records (as allowed by law).

Information collected in this study may be used for other research studies or shared with other researchers for future research. If this happens, information that could identify you, such as your name and other identifiers, will be removed before any information or specimens are shared. Since identifying information will be removed, we will not ask for your additional consent.

If you have questions about the study or encounter a problem with the research, contact the researcher at MappingBlackLanguage@gmail.com.

For questions about your rights as a research participant, to discuss problems, complaints, or concerns about a research study, or to obtain information or to offer input, please contact the IU Human Research Protection Program office at 800-696-2949 or at irb@iu.edu.

If you decide to participate in this study, you can change your mind and decide to leave the study at any time in the future. If you decide to withdraw, you may contact the research team.

 *
Submit
Clear form
Never submit passwords through Google Forms.
This form was created inside of Indiana University.

Does this form look suspicious? Report

Google Forms