Volume 28 of the Handbook for Linguistic Elicitation focuses on that essential of human nature, laziness. Everybody knows that linguists need to elicit words for activities like “killing,” “breaking” and “eating,” but let’s face it, we can’t stop there. And truth be told, these “highly transitive” verbs just aren’t that important to most actual people.

Well, OK, “eating” is important, and people actually do a lot of that, but nobody spends their time killing things or breaking things (except to eat). No. Most people spend most of their time doing more homely activities, which can be characterized with words like: sit, rest, take a break, drink coffee, siesta, nap, watch TV, and so on.

Think about it. Most languages have one word for “kill,” but at least 22 words for “chill out.” Where do you want to invest your research time?

Anyway, the real challenge of eliciting natural “lazy” vocabulary is that people can smell industriousness a mile away, and will not give up the secrets of true relaxation to someone who is, obviously, pressuring them to produce something. That sounds like work, which is inherently incompatible with ease, sloth and comfort.

Volume 28 of the Handbook for Linguistic Elicitation gives you the techniques you need to elicit this essential vocabulary. Utilizing the tools of Participant Observation, you will be able to lounge in comfort, all the while collecting vital data from your unsuspecting co-loungers. Heck, maybe you won’t even bother to finish that troublesome dissertation, once you finally get comfortable.

Buy Volume 28 today, and you can start really enjoying your fieldwork tomorrow!