Dialect

A dialect ( gr διαλέγομαι dialegomai " talk to each other " ), or - in the Germanization of Philip of Zesen ( 1619-1689 ) - a dialect is a local or regional language variety. It may be different from other dialects as well as of the standard language (originally written language ) in all language areas - sound level ( phonology ), word diffraction (morphology), vocabulary ( lexis ), sentence structure (syntax) and idioms - differ.

From the term " dialect " of the term is to be distinguished accent. Accent refers only to the phonological characteristics of the debate. Thus, a Bayer speak the standard German (High German ) with a " Bavarian accent ", but not standard German with a " Bavarian dialect ".

The part of linguistics that deals with the traditional description of the dialects is called dialectology. In modern linguistics, the sociolinguistics concerned with dialects. Dialect or dialect is also used in the literature. One speaks of dialect poetry and dialect poetry. It is characterized mainly lifestyle and population of each region.

• 2.1 The future of the dialects
• 2.2 Using the radio
• 2.3 Quotations

Accruals

Language and dialect

Basically, it is very difficult to distinguish between a language and a dialect, since there are no standardized criteria for this.

In linguistics, a distinction is now mostly based on criteria that go back to Heinz Kloss. According to its definition must be a language to be considered as a language, its roof language development language and distance language. Another point of view brought a Coseriu Eugenio, who made the distinction between primary, secondary and tertiary dialects.

Furthermore, recognition of a dialect is connected as a language in many cases of conflicts of interest, as a separate language rather than a dialect can serve as justification for the creation of a national territory. This conflict could be observed in Europe, for example in the Corsican, Valencian or Catalan. A large proportion of the speakers of the respective varieties demanded their recognition as a language, but this was denied by the central state governments.

Yet, there are also factors such as the awareness of the speaker 's own literature, mutual intelligibility or the status of a state language a role for the difference between dialect and language. A subdivision must therefore be taken individually.

Standard language as an umbrella language

A standard language covered the dialects of the regions of a Sprach-/Dialektkontinuums and is therefore referred to as an umbrella language. While the dialects of neighboring places usually differ only slightly and to understand their spokesman easily over each other, communication is difficult as the dialects apart. Only the above capping standard language allows a mutually understandable communication between the dialect of the same language, who live far away from each other. Similar to how a lingua franca such as English makes use of to, often internationally to communicate over different language areas away, a standard language to communicate in their own language area one uses (often national), so all the dialects of a language of time. Thus, a dialect quite have an expression as a regional standard language of the national language area when used as roof and lingua franca different dialect regions together. So roofed eg the Luxembourg in the nationwide German-speaking world as ( other ) traffic and default language a small language area with regional Dialektvarietäten. The native speakers speak here with their respective ( here: Moselle Franconian ) local dialect a regional standard language ( here: Standardluxemburgisch ) and in addition a further cross-regional standard language ( here: Standard High German ). These amounts correspond to variations of the German language, which belongs within the Indo-European family of the West Germanic language group. Since this is dialects, but not to their own languages ​​, it is called diglossia or in this specific case of Triglossie.

A " dialect " is the local regional characteristics of a language, the default language on a local, national umbrella language with a smaller or larger catchment area. "You can recognize dialects because it is spoken primarily and rarely writes. "

Standard languages ​​are still relatively young language varieties. In the historical and ethnographic aligned German dialectology since Romanticism, the distinction between dialect and standard language was therefore relatively unproblematic. The dialects led back to the Old and Middle High German, whatever is necessary to recognize the laws of language change, especially in phonological and morphological area and constitute the basis of their diachronic representation.

Expansion of language, distance language roofless dialect

The terms " distance language", " extension language" and " roofless dialect " go to the sociolinguists Heinz Kloss back and provide criteria for distinguishing one variety to a linguistic fields;

One variety is then a distance language when they very clearly differs linguistically from another. For example, the German word "house" to the French " maison " a large distance to the English "house" due to the similar pronunciation low. As a typical example of this is true Basque, clearly is an isolated language a distance language to Spanish. According to this same criterion also the Sorbian ( = Slavic ) language is considered as the distance to the language ( West Germanic ) Germans. But even more closely related West Germanic languages ​​, such as German to English, like distance languages ​​relate to each other. However, the objective measure of linguistic distance is extremely difficult due to the large number of criteria and words.

One variety is then an extension language, if it indeed no distance language ( because too close with another variety related ), but still an independent, standardized on the basis of their own dialects written form knows (default language) and this both in fiction and is used for example in the scientific literature. Development languages ​​, for example, the Yiddish or the Macedonian, the linguistically Although the German and Bulgarian are close to, but nevertheless have their own standard variety over such a broad scope also written that this goes far beyond those of a dialect. No extension languages ​​are for example the Bairische that Meißenische or the Swiss German dialects, as they both a national, widely recognized in their own language area Schriftvarietät and a written use, beyond vernacular literature and opportunity uses missing. Also no extension language is about the Swiss High German, because this builds not on the Swiss German dialects on, but is rather a manifesting itself in a manageable number of points variant of the general standard German. The laws of Luxembourg, however, is often regarded as extension language, even if it only a little space is given in the Luxembourg administration in higher education or in the print media, where the French and High German are dominant.

Also, the terms' distance language - language development "can not make it clear in all cases, the distinction between dialect and standard language. Therefore Kloss introduced the concept roofless dialect. As such, it refers to a language variety that can indeed be linguistically referred to as their own language, their spokesman, however, no reference (more) to the appropriate standard variety have or apply the standard variety of a different language, ie, in the case of the Low German that of the High German ( in Northern Germany ) and the Netherlands ( in the northeastern Netherlands). An important criterion is that it was not removed as the default language, but consists of a Low German dialect continuum, which seamlessly alternates, however in the high German dialect continuum. Of course, it is often controversial whether truly " individual languages ​​" present in such cases or not. For the Low German but this has so far confirmed it has been recognized by the northern states of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Netherlands as an independent regional language within the meaning of the EU Charter of Minority Languages.

Mutual intelligibility

Often the mutual intelligibility is mentioned as a criterion for defining of dialect and language. However, the exact determination of the mutual intelligibility is highly controversial in linguistics.

The mutual intelligibility is only a gradual criterion, since there is a wide range of partial intelligibility between complete mutual intelligibility and unintelligibility. Also it depends not only on personal background (eg language skills or holiday stays ), and giftedness of individual speakers, but also by the willingness to understand each other.

In most cases, it is so that there is no mutual understanding is possible and, for example, a spokesman for the Valais German or other dialect a standard German conversation much better understood than the reverse, a spokesman for the Standard German is a purely Welsh German conversation or other dialect speakers.

At the latest with the entry into primary school acquires a dialect of each speaker an additional normalized standard language. Today, because of modern communications technologies, radio and television and national print media, the vast majority of dialect speakers depending on life situation, professional challenge, mobility and communication requirement at least bilingual ( diglossia ).

Primary, secondary and tertiary dialects

After Eugenio Coseriu dialects are divided into three types:

• The primary dialect is at least so long as the dominant standard language. For example, in Spanish: Asturleonesisch;
• Castilian, which became the standard Spanish in the course of time.

• For example, in Spanish: Andalusian; Latin American varieties

• For example, in Spanish: Standard Spanish with Andalusian coloring

Dialect and dialect

Usually the terms dialect and dialect are synonymous. There is also a view of the things that will make a difference here:

The specific characteristics of a dialect can be recorded in writing, a typical example here is the Bavarian: " I ​​'ve no nia koan noise ned k'håbt " ignorant can such records, depending on the knowledge of the high-level language correctly read and mostly understand their meaning when reading. In contrast to this dialect is to express the kind words, regardless of their spelling. The dialect of a speaker can thus also show when reading an accurate written in high level language text. As typical here would be the variant of the Low German dialect ( not the language ) to call when the "s" in the combinations "sp" and never "st " as " sh", but always as " s " is pronounced. This can be in the typeface - in defiance of the spelling rule - suggest ß by the German special characters: " The Ausßprache of Mr. Schmidt 's hard verßtändlich for southern Germany Dialektßprecher. " Information on the membership of a linguistic area gives the shibboleth. A shibboleth combines different aspects of the local dialect so that the word for an outsider is not properly pronounce.

This difference between dialect and dialect is however not made ​​consistently. Thus one finds in larger dictionaries of the German usually a definition, be equated with the dialect and dialect; the same applies to specialized dictionaries of linguistics.

Status of the dialect

Within individual regions of the German-speaking area are significant differences in the importance of dialects: While the local dialect in many areas yet spoken only with speakers of the same dialect or within the family and non- dialect speakers these often feel as rural or educationally, use the dialect in some language areas, such as in German-speaking Switzerland, or some areas of East Friesland, in almost all everyday situations regardless of social status and level of education. The retreat of the dialects from the everyday life of humans occurs regionally at different rates. The German standard language still appeared in the 1950s by most residents of the German-speaking area rather than foreign language, especially in the Low German language area, today perhaps only by many German Swiss and South German.

The future of dialects

The base dialects are declining and increasingly losing speakers and so important. In his book " Palatine " from 1990 Rudolf Post says that the Palatine with each new generation losing nine percent of his vocabulary. Dialects are now scarcely able to develop their own neologisms against the High German, it'll almost always the high German expression used.

Using the radio

Within the ARD radio broadcasting is discussed since the mid- nineties about whether speakers are rejected with recognizable dialect or even dialect, whether they tolerated as " regional splash of color " or even as a profile characteristic of institutions - should be promoted - and for the care of the cultural heritage. In general, since it can be observed even if this is mostly negative picked up by the press and cultures a decrease of the dialect in the ARD radio. On the other hand, it is difficult to send in dialect, as distribute the transmission coverage areas especially the larger institutions over several dialect areas.

Quotes

• " When dialect begins the spoken language. " (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe )
• " Each region loves her dialect, is he really the element in which this soul scoop her breath. " (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe )

The political side of the demarcation dialect - language is clearly in a linguist joke in the article by Max Weinreich The YIVO un di problems fun Undzer tsayt ( " The Yiddish Scientific Institute and the problems of our time" ):

" אַ שפראַך איז אַ דיאַלעקט מיט אַן אַרמיי און פֿלאָט "

"A shprakh iz a dialect with Armey on un flot "

" A language is a dialect with an army and a navy"

Dialects for programming languages

The situation is similar to programming languages ​​in several aspects to the case of natural languages. The high-level languages ​​often correspond to the consortia (eg ANSI ) standard versions, while their implementations differ more or less of it. The differences relate to grammar and semantics, but sometimes also on the supply of various programming concepts. A programming language with many dialects is BASIC.

As with natural languages, the Dialektvarietät is superimposed by historical changes. So there is virtually no Perl dialects, but rather, for example, Perl 4, which could be described as " old" Perl while using almost exclusively Perl5.

Dialect in birdsong

The term dialect is used in the ornithological literature to describe typical regional differences in the songs and calls of many songbirds. These differences are in some species such as yellowhammer, Ortolan or chaffinch, very striking and can by experienced Bestimmern out clearly heard and assigned; in other species they are less audible and differentiate only in the sonogram. In the European avifauna is the song of the Ortolan one of the best examples and also the best -studied example of the dialect expression in birds.