FRAMEWORKS, APPLICATIONS, AND INNOVATIONS FOR EMPIRICAL RESEARCH IN LINGUISTIC METHODOLOGY OF DRAWING

Abstract

This thesis examines the role of drawing methodology as a foundational visual analytic tool in linguistics, investigating how systematic visual representation shapes the way we conceptualize, analyze, and communicate linguistic phenomena across subfields. Through a critical review of historical practices and contemporary applications, it argues that drawing methods are not merely illustrative accessories but active methodological frameworks that structure research questions, guide data analysis, and enable cross-linguistic comparison. The study addresses three core objectives: (1) to map the historical development of drawing techniques from early grammatical diagramming to modern computational visualizations; (2) to evaluate the efficacy of key drawing methods—including tree diagrams, phonetic charts, semantic maps, sociolinguistic visualizations, and discourse analysis drawings—across diverse linguistic contexts; and (3) to propose innovative hybrid drawing methodologies that integrate traditional visual approaches with digital tools to address emerging challenges in linguistic research (e.g., documentation of endangered languages, analysis of multimodal discourse).