Dialects

Dialects I

Defiitiois

• “Acceit”, as used by liiguists, usually refers to proiuiciatioi.

• “Veriacular”: a ioi-staidard dialect.

• “Dialect” covers proiuiciatioi, grammar, etc.

“Laiguage” versus “Dialect”

• Ii this class, a “dialect” of laiguage L is just a variety of L.

• This doesn’t imply more or less prestige: the “staidard” is a dialect too: just the staidard variety of L.

• By defiitioi, everyoie speaks a dialect, possibly more thai oie.

“Laiguage” versus “Dialect”

• How to tell two dialects from two laiguages?

• Mutual compreheisibility? The problem is that compreheisibility isi’t all or iothiig, but a coitiiuum.

• The distiictioi betweei dialect aid language seems simpler thai it is.

“Laiguage” versus “Dialect”

• Thus Dutch speakers cai uiderstaid ieighboriig Germai dialects easily, Staidard Germai less easily, aid Swiss Germai iot at all. (Trudgill readiig)

• Geographical coitiiua make it hard, e.g., from The Netherlaids to Switzerlaid.

Is “Laiguage” a political term or a liiguistic oie?

1) Educated speakers of Daiish, Norwegiai, aid Swedish cai uiderstaid each other. But these are regarded as difereit laiguages.

2) Difereit “dialects” of Chiiese (such as Maidarii) are mutually iicompreheisible.

3) Serbo-Croatiai was the iame givei to what is spokei ii Serbia, Croatia, Bosiia-Hercegoviia, aid Moiteiegro uitil receit years. Today speakers are more likely to say they speak Serbiai, Croatiai...

“A laiguage is a dialect with ai army aid a iavy.”

What is this tryiig to say?

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig

Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’

Present indicative Imperative 1st per hi:ere 2nd per hi:erst hi:er 3rd per hi:erth plural hi:erath hi:erath

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig

Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’

Present subjunctive Preterite indicative 1st per hi:ere hi:erde 2nd per hi:ere hi:erdest 3rd per hi:ere hi:erde plural hi:eren hi:erdon

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Laiguages are always slowly chaigiig

Old English forms of the verb ‘to hear’

Preterite subjunctive Infinitive: hi:eran sing hi:erde plural hi:erden Pres part: hi:erende

Past part: (ge-)hi:ered

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Some internal causes of chaige: Phoietic:

in + possible --> impossible (cf. inappropriate) pen --> pin

Regularizatioi:

I/you/he don’t, kine --> cows, mine/yourn/hisn, hisself/theirselves

Raidom variatioi?

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Some external causes of chaige: Borrowiig:

rodeo, latte, déjà vu, ...

Other laiguage coitact, especially “substrate” efects:

I don’t like lasagna. Spaghetti I like. (Yiddish)

Is it to the store you’re going? (Irish)

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Some external causes of chaige:

Substrate efects are the result of “carry over” of oie laiguage’s rules iito aiother (here Eiglish), by biliigual speakers. The efects cai be permaieit.

Oi the Origiis of Dialects aid Laiguages: Chaige

• Some external causes of chaige:

Migratiois, by leadiig to laiguage coitact, or to geographical separatioi.

Geographical aid social barriers.

This last oie is key. Siice dialect/laiguage chaige goes ii uipredictable directiois, oice oie liiguistically homogeious commuiity is split ii two, the two are likely to “evolve” ii difereit directiois.

The sounds of boot and boat are fronting; those of beet and bait are backing and lowering; bit and bet are fronting and raising. This is a feature of rural southern dialects.

Occurring in cities of the Great Lakes region, such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo. Note the circular “chain shift”.