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Dialect Contact in Slovakia

Haviernikova, Nina
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515116276257858

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures.
This study investigates the outcomes of dialect contact in Smolenice, a village of 3,500 inhabitants in western Slovakia. By analyzing data obtained from recordings of local residents and from a questionnaire, I examine how the local Trnava dialect and Standard Slovak influence each other; whether there are signs of the formation of an intermediate variety in the speech of Smolenice residents; and what the speakers’ attitudes are towards the two codes and towards a possible mixing of them. The contact between Standard Slovak and the Trnava dialect is interesting for a number of reasons. The first is connected with the historic and socio-economic conditions in Slovakia. It has been hypothesized that the prestige of a given dialect may be influenced by the economic development of the regions from which the dialect originates (Bortoni 1991). This hypothesis is interesting in the Slovak context, because the western Slovak region has, for many periods of Slovak history, up to the present, experienced better economic conditions than the rest of the country. In addition, the city of Trnava has been considered not only the economic, but also the cultural center of the region for centuries. The western dialect still holds a strong position alongside Standard Slovak, especially in Trnava. By contrast, north-central Slovakia, where Standard Slovak originated, has historically been among the economically poorest regions. On the other hand, Standard Slovak represents the Slovak national identity, for which the Slovaks have had to fight during various phases of their self-determination. In analyzing the data, I found that the contact between the two investigated varieties can take the form of code choice—switching between the Trnava dialect and Standard Slovak, based especially on the perceived formality of the speech situation. I also found that speakers in Smolenice can mix the two varieties by switching within an utterance so frequently that it is virtually impossible to establish which of the two codes is being used. The mixing can also include phonological hybrids—forms containing intermediate vowels or consonants previously found in neither of the two `pure’ dialects, and lexical hybrids—words containing a stem and an inflectional morpheme from the two varieties. The data also demonstrate that the processes of simplification and leveling are occurring, leading to mutual convergence between the varieties, so that they are becoming more similar to each other. Information provided by an attitudinal questionnaire suggests that residents of Smolenice have generally positive opinions on both Standard Slovak and their local dialect. It also revealed that the speakers are aware of the fact that the varieties are converging and that mixing of them is common. The speakers find these processes natural and do not ascribe any negative connotations to them.
Daniel Collins (Advisor)
Brian Joseph (Advisor)
Donald Winford (Committee Member)
Mark Lauersdorf (Committee Member)
153 p.
Slavic Studies

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Citations

  • Haviernikova, N. (2018). Dialect Contact in Slovakia [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515116276257858

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Haviernikova, Nina. Dialect Contact in Slovakia. 2018. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515116276257858.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Haviernikova, Nina. "Dialect Contact in Slovakia." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1515116276257858

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1515116276257858
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