User:Mlloyd27/Evaluate an Article

Evaluate an article
This is where you will complete your article evaluation. Please use the template below to evaluate your selected article.


 * Name of article: Ethnolinguistics
 * I have chosen this article to evaluate because it seemed very relevant to our current course, Endangered languages, particularly endangered Indigenous languages. The topic of Ethnolinguistics is a broad category that encompasses both culture and languages of different populations. This is relevant to endangered languages because in most cases, language and cultures are connected. If you lose one language, you may also lose that unique culture.

Lead

 * Guiding questions

The lead includes a clear sentence that accurately describes the topic of Ethnolinguistics. This article has no major sections, however it has two paragraphs that are split in between Ethnolinguistics and cultural linguistics, which are both mentioned in the introductory sentence. The lead includes the concept of Ethnology that is not included elsewhere in the article. The Lead is clear, however it could have been more concise when describing Ethnology.

Content

 * Guiding questions

The content of this article is relevant to the topic of Ethnolinguistics, as it discusses both Ethnolinguistics and Cultural linguistics (as they are occasionally used interchangeably). The material presented in this article is also up-to-date. However, I feel as though some content is missing. For example, the article does not mention any major contributors to the field of Ethnolinguistics, nor does it include the general origin of the concept (when/where was this term first introduced?). This article does not deal with Wikipedia's equity gaps, nor does it address topics related to underrepresented topics/groups.

Tone and Balance

 * Guiding questions

This article is neutral, splitting equally between the description of Ethnolinguistics and Cultural Linguistics. This article is also not biased, in that viewpoints are represented equally in a non-persuasive way.

Sources and References

 * Guiding questions

This article contains linked references, however they are somewhat lacking in the second and third paragraph (particularly paragraph three sentence 2). The sources are thorough, however I feel as though more references should be used to back up the information stated in the text. The sources are a mix between current and outdated literature (some from the early 1970s-1990s and some from the late 2000s). However, it is important to note that not all older sources are bad, simply because they are old. The sources are not written by a diverse spectrum of authors, with most coming from the same few individuals. The article also does not include historically marginalized individuals. All links tested work properly.

Organization

 * Guiding questions

This article is well written, grammatically correct and easy to read. This article is well organized, however sub-headings could have been used when describing the differences of Ethnolinguistics to Cultural linguistics.

Images and Media

 * Guiding questions

This article has no images in the main body. However, there is one image that is located on the right hand side of the page, related to anthropology. This image is captioned (Anthropology) and adheres to copyright regulations. I would say that it is also displayed in a visually appealing way.

Checking the talk page

 * Guiding questions
 * On the talk page, a major conversation discusses the importance of the inclusion of cultural linguistics. One editor thought it should be removes, and another thought it should be included. The decision made in 2011 was that the term should be included. Other conversations involved some grammatical errors and capitalization fixes. This article has been rates as "Start-Class" on the quality scale and has not yet been rated on the important scale. This article is in the WikiProject of Linguistics and the WikiProject of Culture (which no longer exists). This article is discussed similarly in the manner discussed in class, in that culture and language are connected.

Overall impressions

 * Guiding questions

This article is very concise and contains the main information to understand the topic. It describes Ethnolinguistics clearly, and uses relevant examples used globally to further the reader's understanding of the topic. This article could be improved by including some major contributors of Ethnolinguistics, and their contributions. A history of the term Ethnolinguistics could also be included to help the readers understand the previous use of the term and compare it to the modern usage of the term today. In this regard, the article is slightly underdeveloped.