Dialects Across Borders

Nonstandard varieties of languages have recently become an object of new interest in scholarly research. This is very much due to the advances in the methods used in data collection and analysis, as well as the emergence of new language-theoretical frameworks. The articles in this volume stem from the 11th International Conference on Methods in Dialectology (Methods XI, August 2002, Joensuu). The theme for this conference was “Dialects across borders”. The selection of contributions included in this volume demonstrates how various kinds of borders exert major influence on linguistic behaviour all over the world. The articles have been grouped according to whether they deal primarily with the linguistic outcomes of political and historical borders between states (Part I); various kinds of social and regional boundaries, including borders in a metaphorical sense, i.e. social barriers and mental or cognitive boundaries (Part II); and finally, boundaries between languages (Part III).

Jack Chambers:
When languages are carried across borders of various kinds – social, regional, national and multinational – they undergo surprising accommodations. This book looks at some of the ways they adapt through case studies from Iceland, Finland, the Netherlands, Ireland, the British Isles, the European Common Market, and North America. Together, these insightful studies bear witness to the resilience and resourcefulness of our languages, and to the people who use them.