A bibliographic journey through Madagascar

bergerra 1999Berger, R. A. 1999. Identification of dialectal distinctions. Notes on Sociolinguistics 4(3):101-104.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

chambersjackk&trudgillpeter 1998Chambers, Jack K., and Peter Trudgill. 1998. Dialectology. Cambridge textbooks in linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

clignetremi&ernstbernard 1995Clignet, Rémi, and Bernard Ernst. 1995. L'école à Madagascar: Evaluation de la qualité de l'enseignement primaire public. Paris: Editions Karthala.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Language planning,

Linguistics,

Dialectology,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Social sciences - other,

History,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

Excellent study which contains a discussion of language in Malagasy education that is very relevant to our study.

collinsjamest 1989Collins, James T. 1989. Malay dialect research in Malaysia: The issue of perspective. Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land-, en Volkenkunde 145:235-264.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

The situation described here reveals striking similarities with the dialectal situation and policies in Madagascar. On most points a fruitful comparison could be drawn.

dahlottochr 1968Dahl, Otto Chr. 1968. Contes malgaches en dialecte Sakalava. Texte, traduction, grammaire et lexique. Oslo-Bergen-Tromsö: Universitetsforlaget.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Ethnography,

Anthropology and ethnology,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Sakalava,

Western,

dahlottochr 1983Dahl, Otto Chr. 1983. Sorabe révélant l'évolution du dialecte Antemoro. Antananarivo: Trano Printy Loterana.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Temoro (Antemoro, Antaimoro),

Eastern,

dalmondpierre 1987Dalmond, Pierre. 1987. Exercices en langue Sakalava et Betsimisaraka (1841-1844). Recherches et Documents 3.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Sakalava,

Western,

Betsimisaraka,

Eastern,

dezjacques 1961Dez, Jacques. 1961. Le dialecte Betsimisaraka du sud. Bulletin de l'Académie Malgache n.s. 38:102-103.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Southern Betsimisaraka (Antatsimo, Tatsimo),

Betsimisaraka,

Eastern,

dezjacques 1963aDez, Jacques. 1963a. Aperçus pour une dialectologie de la langue malgache. Bulletin de Madagascar 204:441-451.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

Professor Dez was aiming to give an overview of the Malagasy dialects and this was published over three articles in the Bulletin de Madagascar.

Selected quotes:

• Certains se demanderont peut-être si cette vue d'ensemble était bien nécessaire. Parmi eux, il y a ceux qui croient qu'il n'y a pas de langue malgache, mais que les diverses populations de l'Ile usent de langages qui leur sont propres et incompréhensibles pour les autres. Parmi eux, il y a également ceux qui estiment que, parce qu'il a une langue malgache officielle, tout ce qui n'est pas elle, n'est que jargon sans intérêt et condamné par son inutilité à disparaître tôt ou tard (441).

dezjacques 1963bDez, Jacques. 1963b. Aperçus pour une dialectologie de la langue malgache II. Bulletin de Madagascar 205:507-520.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

dezjacques 1963cDez, Jacques. 1963c. Aperçus pour une dialectologie de la langue malgache III. Bulletin de Madagascar 206:581-607.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

dezjacques 1993Dez, Jacques. 1993. Une contribution anglaise à la connaissance de la langue malgache: L'enquête dialectale du révérend J. Richardson (1893). Atlas linguistique et ethnographique de Madagascar. Travaux préliminaires 2. Strasbourg: Université des Sciences Humaines.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Applied linguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Sambirano,

Sakalava,

Western,

Zafisoro,

Tefasy (Antefasy, Antaifasy),

Eastern,

Hova,

Merina,

Central,

Tanala (Antanala),

Temoro (Antemoro, Antaimoro),

Tankarana (Antankarana, Tekarana, Antekarana),

Northern,

Betsileo,

Bezanozano,

Sihanaka,

Vakinankaratra,

Betsimisaraka,

Masikoro,

South-western,

Vezo,

Bara,

Southern,

ebobissecarl 1989Ebobissé, Carl. 1989. Dialectometrie lexicale des parlers sawabantu. The Journal of West African Languages 19(2):57-65.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

Applied linguistics,

History,

faridanonana 1978Faridanonana. 1978. Traits caractéristiques du dialecte Tsimihety. Bulletin de l'Académie Malgache n.s. 54(1-2):23-26.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Tsimihety,

Northern,

faubleejacques 1964Faublée, Jacques. 1964. Langue et dialectes malgaches. In Communications et rapports du premier Congrès International de Dialectologie Générale, edited by A. J. van Windekens. Louvain.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

geelenemile&botkeesde 1986Geelen, Emile, and Kees de Bot. 1986. Dialectverlies op individueel niveau. Taal en Tongval 38:172-184.

language(s):

Dutch

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

giesbersherman 1986Giesbers, Herman. 1986. Code switching, dialectverlies en dialectbehoud. Taal en Tongval 38:128-145.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

goedefroitsophie 1998Goedefroit, Sophie. 1998. A l'ouest de Madagascar: Les Sakalava du Menabe. Collection "hommes et sociétés". Paris: Editions Karthala.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Social sciences - other,

History,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Southern Sakalava,

Sakalava,

Western,

Sakalava Menabe,

Vezo,

Masikoro,

South-western,

gueuniernoeljacques&raharinjanaharysolo 1993Gueunier, Noël Jacques, and Solo Raharinjanahary. 1993. Vocabulaire médical d'après l'enquête de l'Académie malgache de 1912. Atlas linguistique et ethnographique de Madagascar. Travaux préliminaires 3. Strasbourg: Université des Sciences Humaines.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

gueuniernoeljacques&raharinjanaharysolo&rasoamalalavaoclaire 1992Gueunier, Noël Jacques, Solo Raharinjanahary, and Claire Rasoamalalavao. 1992. Une enquête sur les noms des parties du corps. Atlas linguistique et ethnographique de Madagascar. Travaux préliminaires 1. Strasbourg: Université des Sciences Humaines.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

gueuniernoeljacques 1988Gueunier, Noël Jacques. 1988. Dialectologie et lexicostatistique: Cas du dialecte malgache de Mayotte (comores). In Linguistique de Madagascar et des Comores. Etudes Océan Indien 9, 143-116, edited by Pierre Vérin. Paris: Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

Comores, Comorien,

Indian Ocean region,

Research,

History,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Kibushi (Shibushi),

Other,

haugeneinar 1972cHaugen, Einar. 1972c. Dialect, language, nation. In The ecology of language. Essays by Einar Haugen. Language science and national development series, linguistic research group of Pakistan, 237-254, edited by Anwar S. Dil. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Language planning,

Linguistics,

Dialectology,

Sociolinguistics,

Haugen clarifies the terms " language" and "dialect" in terms of their history, the first entering the English language from French which had it from the Latin "lingua" in the twelfth century. "Dialect" was a loanword from Greek since the Renaissance. Greece knew no unified norm during classical times and referred to the closely related and written regional forms, each one with a specialized literary use descended from a previous common Greek usage. Subsequently "Greek" was to refer to a convergence of these dialects, the Greek koiné. The Greek situation became the model for all later usage of the terms "language" and "dialect." The term "language" comprises the idea of the result of historical convergence of dialects, which in its turn could be the result of divergence from a common language. French added the term "patois" to indicate "degraded dialects," but in English the term "dialect" has had to carry every sense.
Some of the confusion with the two terms stem from the fact that it is sometimes used in "structural" sense, (i.e. descriptive of the language itself) and at other times in a "functional" sense, that is, in terms of the social uses in communication.

hebertjeanclaude 1962Hébert, Jean-Claude. 1962. Recherches sur l'histoire et la civilisation malgaches. Bulletin de Madagascar 191:339-352.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

This is a follow-up article on Bulletin no 172 of 1960, pp 809-820 and presents in maps the results of the survey done. It represents another attempt at clarifying the mystery of the origins of the first inhabitants of Madagascar. Hébert feels that the Bara and the Sakalava are the best representatives of the first Indonesians to land in Madagascar. He surveyed the dialectal forms during seven months out of twelve.

hinskensfrans&kallenjeffreyl&taeldemanjohan 2000Hinskens, Frans, Jeffrey L. Kallen, and Johan Taeldeman. 2000. Merging and drifting apart. Convergence and divergence of dialects across political borders. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 145:1-28.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

History,

hinskensfrans 1986Hinskens, Frans. 1986. Onderzoek van dialektverlies in de lexicale component, enkele kanttekeningen. Taal en Tongval 38:185-197.

language(s):

Dutch

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

laponceja 1987Laponce, J. A. 1987. Languages and their territories. Translation and new ed of "langue et territoire". Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Language planning,

Linguistics,

Dialectology,

Sociolinguistics,

Selected quotes:

• (.) the modern state (.) is 'glossophagic' (Calvet 1974)-destructive of its minority language (4).

nettledaniel 1998Nettle, Daniel. 1998. Coevolution of phonology and the lexicon in twelve languages of west Africa. Journal of Quantitative Linguistics 5(3):240-245.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

History,

obrechtdeanh 1965Obrecht, Dean H. 1965. Toward automated phonological mapping. Linguistics 17:21-35.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

rabenilainarogerbruno 1993Rabenilaina, Roger-Bruno. 1993. L'intégration des différents parlers, signes manifestes de l'unicité de la langue malgache. In Language. A doorway between human cultures, 135-157, edited by Øyvind Dahl. Oslo: Novus Forlag.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Language planning,

Linguistics,

Dialectology,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

This article is essential for a study of language planning in Madagascar. Because it was written fairly recently, it contains some recent language policies and decisions.

Selected quotes:

• Il s'agit moins d'incorporation de nouveaux éléments à un système que d'établissement d'une interdépendance entre les parties d'un être vivant (135).
• Si l'on veut que la langue malgache soit, (.) le premier outil de/du développement, il faut procéder à l'intégration des parlers par lesquels cette langue se réalise, c'est-à-dire établir l'interdépendance des diférentes variétés régionales qui conditionnent son existence même. Une telle intégration suppose qu'on accepte que chaque région, chaque hameau même, utilise son parler en toute quiétude, sans aucun complexe. Chaque Malgache se sentira alors dans sa peau, conscient de sa propre dignité et respectueux de celle des autres. La communion d'esprits ainsi favorisée sera source de solidarité dans et pour le développement du pays (135).

rabenilainarogerbruno 2000Rabenilaina, Roger-Bruno. 2000. Ny teny sy ny fiteny Malagasy. Antananarivo: SME.

language(s):

Malagasy

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

raharinjanaharysolo&mahajobom&vaovolodimby 1988Raharinjanahary, Solo, M. Mahajobo, and Dimby Vaovolo. 1988. Une enquête lexicostatistique sur les parlers Tanôsy et Tañalaña de l'Onilahy. In Linguistique de Madagascar et des Comores. Etudes Océan Indien 9, 171-183, edited by Pierre Vérin. Paris: Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Research,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Tañalaña,

South-western,

Tanosy (Antanosy),

South-eastern,

rajaonarimanananarivelo&feesarah 1996Rajaonarimanana, Narivelo, and Sarah Fee. 1996. Dictionnaire Malgache Dialectal-Français. Dialecte Tandroy. Dictionnaires des langues O' (langues de l'océan Indien occidental). Paris: Langues et Mondes / L'Asiathèque.

language(s):

Tandroy Malagasy, French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Applied linguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Tandroy (Antandroy, Ntandroy),

Southern,

In the introduction, much useful information concerning the language of the Tandroy people is given, as well as a discussion of some written material on Tandroy dialectology. This is done chronologically, according to date of publication. A number of recent ethnographic studies are mentioned, as well as other dialectal lexicographic studies. This work is another invaluable tool for anyone interested in the people of Androy.
A challenging quotation in the context of the present sociolinguistic survey is found in the introduction, p. 5, "Les variétés linguistiques utilisées par les quelque dix-huit groupes ethniques différents sont intelligibles par ces groupes avec une seule exception: celles utilisées par les Tandroy du Sud" (our italics). Challenging, because to our knowledge no comprehensive intelligibility studies have been done in Madagascar, and because the only study referred to in the context of this statement is a glottochronological study Vérin et al (100 word list), which could not with lexical data uphold the argument. In the course of our research, some intelligibility studies will be done. Until now ideas about intelligibility in Madagascar, seem largely based on subjective, experiential reports.

rajaonasimeon 1981Rajaona, Siméon. 1981. La variation /e-i/ en position postaccentuelle dans les différents parlers malgaches. Hiratra 3.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Malagasy,

rakotomalalamalanjaonamanoelina&razafimbelocelestin 1985Rakotomalala, Malanjaona Manoelina, and Célestin Razafimbelo. 1985. Le problème d'intégration sociale chez les Makoa de l'Antsihanaka. Omaly sy Anio (Hier et Aujourd'hui) 21-22:93-113.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Social sciences - other,

History,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Makoa,

Western,

Sihanaka,

Central,

Insightful article of the Makoa community in Antsihanaka. A short wordlist elicited in 1982 is given in annexe.

ravololonirinahajasoa 1985Ravololonirina, Hajasoa. 1985. De l'instrumentalisation des dialectes oraux. Omaly sy Anio (Hier et Aujourd'hui) 21-22:115-129.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Language planning,

Linguistics,

Dialectology,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Bara,

Southern,

Merina,

Central,

Tsimihety,

Northern,

Very intelligent article, worthy of the best in sociolinguistics!
This is a key article for our study of Malagasy linguistics, in that it confirms many of the sensitive conclusions we have come to through field studies and other readings. It is also one of the most "sociolinguistically inclined" I have found on the Malagasy linguistic situation. The author gives a short overview of the history of Malagasy, with particular reference to the standardisation of Merina as the politically dominant dialect. He discusses certain prejudices concerning Malagasy dialects, some of which found continuation in the unifying nature of the structural description of Malagasy, which proclaims a far-fetched unity (=similarity), denying the reality of variation and difference.
We have found that the idea of dialect similarity in Madagascar has been ideologised and popularised to such an extent that it is difficult to convince people of the need for studying this assumption.
This study is a great encouragement in confirming the need.

Selected quotes:

• Il est certain que les dialectes malgaches présentent d'importantes similitudes soulignées dès la colonisation dans des observations partielles et souvent emiriques, justifiant maintes extrapolations hâtives, comme celle-ci de Julien et Gerbinis:
  -Les diversités dialectales ne reflètent que des nuances et non des différences. Elles tiennent surtout à des changements plus apparents que réels, dans l'émission de certaines syllabes finales, l'alternance de certaines consonnes entre elles. La grammaire et la syntaxe enfin, sont partout, à quelques insignifiantes variantes près, les mêmes.-
  A l'à peu près de ces approximations linguistiques, souvent subordonnées aux normes occidentales, s'est substituée cinquante ans plus tard l'option structuraliste inaugurée en linguistique malgache par S. Rajaona sous les traits du fonctionnalisme. On ne saurait nier l'impulsion donnée par la linguistique structurale à la recherche en linguistique fondamentale. Le fonctionnalisme a orienté deux grandes thèses en dialectologie: 'La syntaxe du Bara' de BR Rabenilaina, et 'le parler Sakalava du Nord-Ouest' de D. Baré-Thomas, pour ne parler que des travaux mis à la disposition du public. La description structurale a permis de mettre en évidence un aspect isomorphe des dialectes de l'île qui présentent "à quelques variantes près" un système phonologique, des normes morphologiques et des normes syntaxiques communs.
  La linguistique structurale est résolument unifiante, mais l'unité qu'elle décrit est l'expression d'un choix opéré dans les faits de langue sur le refus de prendre en considération la variante ou la différence. Forte de ses convictions, elle franchit le pas entre une unité structurale de fait et une unification linguistique de droit (119).

resondrov&romualdv 1988Resondro, V., and V. Romuald. 1988. Katesizy tsara Bara.

language(s):

Bara Malagasy

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Religion,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Bara,

Southern,

rischeljoergen 1992aRischel, Jørgen. 1992a. Isolation, contact, and lexical variation in a tribal setting. In Language contact: Theoretical and empirical studies. International Tromsø Symposium on Language. Trends in linguistics 60, 149-177, edited by Ernst Håkon Jahr. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

ruudjoergen 1955Ruud, Jørgen. 1955. Etude grammaticale du dialecte Betsimisaraka du sud. Bulletin de l'Académie Malgache n.s. 33:33-55.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Anthropology and ethnology,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Southern Betsimisaraka (Antatsimo, Tatsimo),

Betsimisaraka,

Eastern,

schumansjos 1986Schumans, Jos. 1986. Dialektverlies en dialektbehoud in Sittard. Taal en Tongval 38:160-171.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

siegeljeff 1998Siegel, Jeff. 1998. Substrate reinforcement and dialectal differences in Melanasian pidgin. Journal of Sociolinguistics 2(3):347-373.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

simonpierre 1988Simon, Pierre. 1988. Ludvig Munthe, Elie Rajaonarison, Désiré Ranaivosoa, "Le cathéchisme malgache de 1657, essai de présentation du premier livre en langue malgache." Egede Instituttet, Imprimerie Luthérienne, Antananarivo, 1987. In Linguistique de Madagascar et des Comores. Etudes Océan Indien 9, 254-256, edited by Pierre Vérin. Paris: Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Missiology,

Religion,

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

History,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

Tanosy (Antanosy),

South-eastern,

thomasfattierdominique 1982Thomas-Fattier, Dominique. 1982. Le dialecte Sakalava du nord ouest de Madagascar. Paris: SELAF.

language(s):

French

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Malagasy language,

Sociolinguistics,

Madagascar,

Indian Ocean region,

Austronesian,

Malagasy ethnie(s):

North-western,

trudgillpeter 1986Trudgill, Peter. 1986. Dialects in contact. Language in society 10. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

History,

trudgillpeter 1992Trudgill, Peter. 1992. Dialect typology and social structure. In Language contact: Theoretical and empirical studies. International Tromsø Symposium on Language. Trends in linguistics 60, 195-211, edited by Ernst Håkon Jahr. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

In this article, Peter Trudgill looks at the possible link between the characteristics of a language and the structure of the society where it is spoken. He refers in his discussion to Faroese and Norwegian as examples. He points out that while language contact is a very interesting phenomenon to the linguist, language isolation is equally interesting and that in language contact some obvious reasons can be found for change, but that language change in isolated languages cannot be so easily understood.

Selected quotes:

• Our investigation of lingua francas, pidgins, creoles, and other high-contact language varieties have led us to expect developments such as change from analytic to synthetic structure, reduction in redundance, and increases in regularity in these situations (.). In comparing continental Scandinavian with Old Norse, English with Old English, French with Latin, we find features such as reduction in overt case-marking and an increase in prepositional usage; reduction in conjugations, declensions, and inflections; loss of the dual number; increase in periphrastic verb forms; more restrictions on word order; and so on. All changes of this type can be described by the technical term of simplification(.) it is by no means always the case that contact leads to simplification. It can equally well lead to complication (.). Imperfect learning, and thus simplification, does not result from non-native language learning as such, but from adult non-native language learning (197).

trudgillpeter 1995Trudgill, Peter. 1995. Dialect typology: Isolation, social network and phonological structure. In Towards a social science of language. Papers in honor of William Labov. Amsterdam studies in the theory and history of linguistic science 127, 3-21, edited by Gregory R. Guy, John Baugh, Crawford Feagin, and Deborah Schiffrin. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

In this paper, Trudgill discusses differences of linguistic structure, between or within languages, in terms of societal features where the dialects are spoken. He compares close-network low contact groups with loose-network high contact groups, to the exclusion of the two other logically possible, but probably less frequent types of community: close-network high contact and loose-network low contact. Linguistic change in situations of language contact is more easily explained than that in situations of language isolation.

Selected quotes:

• The paper then, is concerned with the study of the extent to which differences of linguistic structure, whether within or between languages, can be ascribed to or explained in terms of features of the society in which the dialects in question are spoken. The question one wants to answer in this type of study is: do different types of society produce different types of language structure; and are these differences, if they exist, the result of different types of language change? The purpose is to seek to link a typology of language varieties and language change to a typology of societies (3).
• (.) both CONTACT WITH OTHER SOCIAL GROUPS and TYPE OF SOCIAL NETWORK STRUCTURE may be important factorsin leading to differences between types of linguistic developments and structures at other linguistic levels also (.). (I will also be comparing close-network low contact groups with loose-network high contact groups, to the exclusion of the two other logically possible but probably less frequent types of community: close-network high contact and loose-network low contact) (4).
• Language contact is widely and rightly regarded as a highly interesting phenomenon. Our discussion, however, also indicates that language isolation is equally interesting and perhaps more challenging for the historical linguist. We can explain changes in high-contact dialects and languages in terms of imperfect learning by adults, interaction between systems, and so on. Perhaps an even more interesting question, however, is: how are we to explain, in sociolinguistic terms, develoments that occur in isolated languages and dialects?

viereckwolfgang 1987Viereck, Wolfgang. 1987. Lowman's southern English dialectal data and dialectometry. English World-wide. A Journal of Varieties of English 8(1):11-23.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

williamscolinh&ambroseje 1988Williams, Colin H., and J. E. Ambrose. 1988. On measuring language border areas. In Language in geographic context. Multilingual matters 36, 93-135, edited by Colin H. Williams. Clevedon, Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

williamscolinh 1988Williams, Colin H. (ed.) 1988. Language in geographic context. Multilingual matters 36. Clevedon, Philadelphia: Multilingual Matters.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

wolframwalt 1998Wolfram, Walt. 1998. Dialect in society. In The handbook of sociolinguistics. Blackwell handbooks in linguistics 4, 107-126, edited by Florian Coulmas. Oxford: Blackwell.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

wurmstephena&muehlhaeuslerpeter&tryondarrell 1996Wurm, Stephen A., Peter Mühlhäusler, and Darrell Tryon (eds.) 1996. Atlas of languages of intercultural communication in the Pacific, Asia and the Americas. Trends in linguistics: Documentation 13. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.

language(s):

English

topic(s):

Dialectology,

Linguistics,

Sociolinguistics,

Diachronic linguistics,

Austronesian linguistics,

Applied linguistics,

Austronesian,