On the coherence of varieties along the dialect-standard axis in different South. Bavarian regions – A variationist perspective on lectal coherence

Lars Bülow (LMU Munich) & Philip C. Vergeiner (LMU Munich)

This project investigates the coherence of German varieties along the dialect-standard axis in South Bavarian, focusing on three different regions: South Tyrol (Italy), North Tyrol (Austria), and the Werdenfelser Land (Germany). In these regions, as in many other German-speaking areas, dialects and standard languages are often viewed as two extreme poles on a spectrum of language use, with intermediate varieties assumed to exist between them. Identifying and delineating these varieties, however, poses serious challenges, further complicated by ongoing language change. Specifically, in South Bavarian, we expect that intermediate varieties between dialect and standard are still evolving as part of an ongoing process of ‘de-diglossification’. In addition, lectal coherence might differ considerably between different groups of speakers and regions.
Our project aims to explore the varieties spoken in South Bavarian, including dialects, standard languages, and potential intermediary varieties, and to assess their coherence as distinct sets of linguistic features. Key research questions include: What varieties shape the dialect-standard continuum in different South Bavarian regions? How coherent are these varieties, and what factors influence their coherence? Can we identify an ongoing process of language change, specifically ‘de-diglossification’? To address these questions, we will collect both natural speech data and controlled speech samples from urban and rural areas, taking into account different social variables such as age, gender, and mobility. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, including multivariate statistical analysis, will be employed to evaluate the coherence of these varieties.