Dialect levelling in Limburg : structural and sociolinguistic aspects / Frans Hinskens.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hinskens, Frans, author.

Series:

Linguistische Arbeiten (Max Niemeyer Verlag) ; 356.

Linguistische Arbeiten, 0344-6727 ; 356

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dutch language--Dialects--Netherlands--Limburg.

Dutch language.

Linguistic change.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (430 p.)

Edition:

Reprint 2014

Place of Publication:

Tübingen, [Germany] : Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1996.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This volume presents a study of the phenomenon of dialect levelling, the process of the reduction of structural variation. This process affects variation both in the cross-dialectal and in the dialectal-standard language dimension (in German dialectology referred to as Ausgleich and Abbau, respectively). The study is based on a research project on an originally rural Limburg dialect of Dutch. On the basis of a survey of the relatively rare relevant literature, a sociolinguistic model of dialect levelling is developed. A model is also proposed for embedding the study of this special type of linguistic change in formal phonological theory; this model centres on the role of the syllable in phonological processes. After a sketch of the social history and the dialect situation of the research area as well as an exposition of the methodology, descriptions and (mainly formal) explanations of the 21 dialect features at issue are presented. The approach is basically sociolinguistic and the analysis of the fieldwork data primarily quantitative. The patterns that emerge in the processes of the levelling out of the dialect features are related to both internal and external factors. In accounting for the findings, methods and insights from historical linguistics, dialectology as well as (linear and non-linear) phonological theory play an important role. After a discussion of the findings, the outlines are sketched of a theory of dialect levelling. The possibilities as well as some of the problems are discussed of an integration of the study of language variation and change on the hand and formal linguistic theory on the other.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Symbols and abbreviations

Part I. Models

Chapter 1. A sociolinguistic model and three hypotheses

Chapter 2. The phonological model

Part II. Setting, methods and linguistic variables

Chapter 3. The research area

Chapter 4. Methodological aspects

Chapter 5. The linguistic variables

Part III. Findings. The broader approach

Chapter 6. Quantitative analyses for each single linguistic variable

Chapter 7. Dialect levelling and structural dependence between linguistic variables

Part IV. The deeper approach

Chapter 8. Selection and analysis of the linguistic variables in the spontaneous data

Chapter 9. Findings for the in-group conversations

Chapter 10. Findings for the out-group conversations

Chapter 11. Dialect levelling and accommodation: testing the third hypothesis

Part V. Sizing up and looking ahead

Chapter 12. Discussion and some issues for further research

Appendix

References

Subject index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9783110929683

3110929686

OCLC:

979765551