Dialectometry is the quantitative and

computational Computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that follows a well-defined model (e.g., an algorithm). Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as ''computers''. An espe ...

branch of

dialectology Dialectology (from Greek , ''dialektos'', "talk, dialect"; and , '' -logia'') is the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. It studies variations in language based primarily on geographic distribution and their ass ...

, the study of

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...

. This sub-field of

linguistics Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...

studies language variation using the methods of statistics; it arose in the 1970s and 80s as a result of seminal work by J. Séguy and Hans Goebl. The research concentrates mainly on the regional distribution of dialect similarities, such as cores of dialect and overlapping zones, which can be labelled according to a more or less slight variance of dialect between bordering locations. However, analysis of dialect relationships cannot always be clearly depicted by

cladistics Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived cha ...

, since there are often

dialect continuum A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...

cases and also examples with elements of convergence, as well as division.Gary Simons. 1977. Recognizing patterns of divergence and convergence in a matrix of lexicostatistic relations. ''Workpapers in Papua New Guinea Languages 21'' 107-134. Ukarumpa, Papua New Guinea: SIL. Language atlases serve as an empirical database which document the dialect profile of a large number of locations in detail. Different well-known numerical classification methodologies are used to abstract and visualise a basic pattern from the immense amount of data found in the language atlases. Not one solid classification can be expected to result from the calculations; rather, different aspects of the basic pattern being searched for can be discovered by using the different methodologies. Principally speaking, there is more interest in the diversity of the taxometric methodologies, the results and the linguistic interpretations which can be made from them.

References

* Bauer, Roland. 2002-2003. Dolomitenladinische Ähnlichkeitsprofile aus dem Gadertal. Ein Werkstattbericht zur dialektometrischen Analyse des ALD-I, in: ''Ladinia'' XXVI-XXVII, 209-250. * Bauer, Roland. 2003. Sguardo dialettometrico su alcune zone di transizione dell'Italia nord-orientale (lombardo vs. trentino vs. veneto), in: ''Parallela X. Sguardi reciproci. Vicende linguistiche e culturali dell'area italofona e germanofona. Atti del Decimo Incontro italo-austriaco dei linguisti'', Bombi, Raffaella / Fusco, Fabiana (Hrsg.), Udine: Forum Editrice, 93-119. * Bauer, Roland. 2004. Dialekte - Dialektmerkmale - dialektale Spannungen. Von "Cliquen", "Störenfrieden" und "Sündenböcken" im Netz des dolomitenladinischen Sprachatlasses ALD-I, in: ''Ladinia XXVIII'', 201-242. * Bauer, Roland. 2005. La classificazione dialettometrica dei basiletti altoitaliani e ladini rappresentati nell'Atlante linguistico del ladino dolomitico e dei dialetti limitrofi (ALD-I), in: ''Lingue, istituzioni, territori. Riflessioni teoriche, proposte metodologiche ed esperienze di politica linguistica'', Guardiano, Cristina et al. (Hrsg.), Roma: Bulzoni, 347-365. * Goebl, Hans. 1982. ''Dialektometrie; Prinzipien und Methoden des Einsatzes der numerischen Taxonomie im Bereich der Dialektgeographie''. Wien: Verlag der Öst. Akademie der Wissenschaften. * Goebl, Hans. 1984. Dialektometrische Studien anhand italoromanischer, rätoromanischer und galloromanischer Sprachmaterialien aus AIS und ALF. Bd.1 (Bd.2 und 3 enthalten Karten und Tabellen). Tübingen: Max Niemeyer. * Goebl, Hans. 1985. Coup d'oeil dialectométrique sur les Tableaux phonétiques des patois suisses romands, in: ''Vox romanica'' 44, 189-233. * Goebl, Hans. 1986. Muster, Strukturen und Systeme in der Sprachgeographie. In: Mondo Ladino X, 41-70. * Goebl, Hans. 1987. Encore un coup d'œil dialectométrique sur les Tableaux phonétiques des patois suisses romands (TPPSR). Deux analyses interponctuelles: parquet polygonal et treillis triangulaire, in: ''Vox romanica'' 46, 91-125. * Goebl, Hans. 1993. Die dialektale Gliederung Ladiniens aus der Sicht der Ladiner. Eine Pilotstudie zum Problem der geolinguistischen "Mental Maps". In: ''Ladinia'' XVII, 59-95. * Goebl, Hans. 1994. Spannungsverhältnis in dialektalen Netzen; ein Hinweis zu disziplinübergreifender Diskussion. In: ''Computatio linguae II'', Ursula Klenk (Hrsg.), 63-83. * Goebl, Hans. 1998. Dialektometrische Beschreibung der Romania. In: ''Lexikon der Romanistischen Linguistik (LRL)'', Holtus, Günter / Metzeltin, Michael / Schmitt, Christian (Hrsg.), Band VII, Tübingen: Niemeyer, 977-1003.

External links

Dialectometry.com

* ttp://www.uni-salzburg.at/index.php?id=30634 University of Salzburg: Dr.Hans Goebl
RuG/L04, software download
{{Authority control Dialectology Quantitative linguistics

References

Further reading

External links