Linearity of research design in ethnographic studies of speaking

“Linearity” in the design and conduct of research refers to the specification, in advance of data collection, of both a purpose for research and of the steps to be taken to serve the purpose. The requirements of naturalistic inquiry can make it difficult to design and conduct research according to the standards of linearity which are implicitly or explicitly reflected in scientific inquiry in speech communication. Ethnographies of speaking, one variety of naturalistic inquiry, are exemplary of this difficulty, but a consideration of how ethnographers can and do follow a standard of linearity in research design and conduct suggests that the difficulty is surmountable.