This paper deals with data gathering and interpretation in folk linguistics, but, as the parenthetical title suggests, it is not limited to any prejudged notion of what approaches or techniques might be most relevant to the wide variety of concerns encompassed by applied linguistics. In this article, the author conceives of folk linguistics broadly, including not only the comments that nonlinguists make about linguistic topics but also the reactions they have to varieties of language and language use, including overt as well as subconscious responses. He discusses the techniques of collection and interpretation that are associated with folk linguistics, which he characterizes as: (1) "traditional"; (2) "operational"; (3) "experimental"; and (4) "discoursal." (Contains 4 tables and 12 figures.)