Studying Dialect: Theories

Question 1

Why did dialectologists emerge?

Answer 1

They feared dialect variation was decreasing and traditional dialects were being lost.

Question 2

What were the linguistic motivations?

Answer 2

New scientific approach led to systemacticity in studing varieties and language change
Neogrammarians stated that “sound changes were exceptionless” but dialect data refuted this showing that linguistic changes were irregular and did not affect all words equally

Question 3

What were the social motivations for dialect study?

Answer 3

they worried about moderninity
the education system
mobility e.g railway, car, canal
new forms of communication e.g telephone, radio and tv

Question 4

First dialect studies…

1. George Wenker, Germany (1876)

Answer 4

Sent out postal questionnaires to headmasters asking them for local versions of standard sentences

Question 5

2. Jules Gilleron, France (1896)

Answer 5

Fieldworker working from a questionnaire conducting interviews

Question 6

3. Hans Kurath, USA (1929)

Answer 6

A linguistic atlas od the US and Canada

Question 7

4. Eugen Dieth and Harold Orton (1948)

Answer 7

Survey of English Dialects (SED)

Question 8

How do we study varients?

Answer 8

Objectively and descriptively through analysing the strutures phonology and lexis.

Question 9

What are Intersecting constructions?

Answer 9

Where geographical different dialects share the same constructions e.g. Scottish may share features of NE

they therefore affect classification