Copyright © 2004 by Alexander
Introduction
Languages consist of dialects. For example, there are hundreds
of local Chinese dialects. Standard Mandarin is also a dialect.
Dialects manifest themselves through accent, grammar, lexis, and so
on. Below please find some examples of what dialects, also called
"language varieties", are.
DEFINITION 1
DEFINITION 2
DEFINITION 3
Includes a discussion of a dialect's role in a language.
DIALECTS: MUTUAL INTELLIGIBILITY
What makes languages different from dialects? How can you tell
whether a given linguistic code is a dialect or a separate language?
What role does mutual intelligibility play in definition of a
language variety?
Chinese Language
A good overview of the dialects and languages spoken in China.
Chinese Dialects
FAQs
An excellent, detailed overview of Chinese dialects.
Tibetan Dialects Project
University of Berne's Tibetan Dialects Project (est. 1992).
Dictionary info, wonderful pictures, bibliography.
"Historical-Comparative Lexicon of Tibetan Dialects" and
"Foundations of a Historical Grammar of Tibetan" are some of the
major research projects.
American English Dialects
Dialects defined. Includes a map of American English dialects,
history of American English.
Regional Dialects in Midland and New England
Historical background of a number of English language dialects with
emphasis on vocabulary.
International
Dialects of English Archive (Est. 1998)
Mainly phonetic variations/accents. Recordings. Emphasis on American
English.
Dialect Map of American English
This is an actual interactive map of linguistic variety in the
United States. Examples are provided for each area.
Harvard
University's Dialect Survey Project
With particular focus on North American English dialects, the effort
is aimed at describing linguistic diversity and regional variation
existing in the United States.
American Dialect Society
The American Dialect Society (est. 1889) is concentrated on the
study of the English language in North America. News, Words of the
Year (1992-present), email discussion list.
German Dialects
Examples (audio clips) of Allemanisch, Austrian, Bavarian, Cologne,
Erzgebirge, Frankisch, Frisian, Hessisch, Hof, Lechtal,
Luxembourgisch, Platt, Pennsylvania Deutsch, Rheinland-Pfalz,
Ruhrpott, Saarland, Saxon, Schwabisch, Swiss, German, Tirol, Vienese,
and Yiddish. Highly recommended!
About
Dialects and High German
This is a good overview (history etc) of dialects of German.
Emergence of Standard ("High") German, Hochdeutsch, is described.
The Language of the West Siberian Mennonites
This is an interesting description of the history of Plautdiitsch, a
descendant of West Prussian Low German used by Mennonites who used
to live in absolute isolation from other German language varieties
in Siberia.
French Dialects,
Patois, and Regional Languages
Canadian, African, European French, French-based pidgins and creoles
are described. This is a good source of information of linguistic
diversity.
Italian Dialects
A lot of information on varieties of Italian, including urban
dialects.
Map of Slovak
Dialects
This is a detailed map of linguistic variation in Slovak. Western,
Central, Eastern Slovak, as well as other dialect groups are placed
on the map.
Phonetic
preconditions for historical sound change - evidence from the
dialects
Historical sound change and factors influencing it are described.
The role of constraints is illustrated by dialects of the Swedish
language.
Colonization, Decolonization and Integration: Language Policies in
East Timor, Indonesia
This study describes twelve mutually unintelligible indigenous
languages of Austronesian and non-Austronesian superstock, further
divided into thirty-five dialects and sub-dialects, existing in the
now independent nation of East Timor.
Review: The speech corpus and database of Japanese dialects
This project is aimed at mapping the linguistic diversity of Japan,
its minority languages and dialects. Includes a map.
Dialects, Standards, Myths
This South Africa-based study raises important questions about the
role of English in a more global and, at the same time, local
context. What is "standard" English? What is a regional variety?
What prestige comes with speaking English with a "standard" accent,
grammar, and vocabulary? What prestige comes with speaking a
regional variety of English?
