Samenvatting
In this study, we explain perceptual dialect differences using both geographic distance and a different type of distance that is commonly used in the field of cognitive geography. Cognitive geography is based on the assumption that an individual’s mental representation of their environment has a greater effect on their behaviour than the actual environment (Montello 2018). A commonly used metric in cognitive geography is the cognitive distance: the geographic distance between two places as estimated by an individual (Montello 1991). This study also introduces the use of cognitive distances into dialect research and investigates whether these mental representations of space can serve as an explanatory variable in dialectology.
Nearly 800 participants from the north of the Netherlands provided cognitive distances between the place where they grew up and seven other locations in the same region. They also rated the similarity of dialect recordings from these locations to the dialect of the location where they grew up. A linear mixed-effects regression model was built to predict perceptual dialect distance from both cognitive distance and geographic distance. The resulting model indicates that geographic distance is more predictive of perceptual dialect distance than cognitive distance. There was also a significant interaction between cognitive and geographic distance. Cognitive distance is more predictive of perceptual dialect distance when geographic distance is short than when geographic distance is long. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis revealed that gender and proficiency in the participants’ local dialect were predictive of perceptual dialect distance. Our findings indicate that cognitive distance can be used to explain dialect variation, especially when the area under investigation is small, and consequently that the framework of cognitive geography can be usefully employed in dialectological research.
Nearly 800 participants from the north of the Netherlands provided cognitive distances between the place where they grew up and seven other locations in the same region. They also rated the similarity of dialect recordings from these locations to the dialect of the location where they grew up. A linear mixed-effects regression model was built to predict perceptual dialect distance from both cognitive distance and geographic distance. The resulting model indicates that geographic distance is more predictive of perceptual dialect distance than cognitive distance. There was also a significant interaction between cognitive and geographic distance. Cognitive distance is more predictive of perceptual dialect distance when geographic distance is short than when geographic distance is long. Furthermore, an exploratory analysis revealed that gender and proficiency in the participants’ local dialect were predictive of perceptual dialect distance. Our findings indicate that cognitive distance can be used to explain dialect variation, especially when the area under investigation is small, and consequently that the framework of cognitive geography can be usefully employed in dialectological research.
| Originele taal-2 | English |
|---|---|
| Titel | (Dia)Lects in the 21st Century |
| Subtitel | Selected Papers from Methods in Dialectology XVII |
| Uitgeverij | Language Science Press |
| Hoofdstuk | 4 |
| Pagina's | 77-103 |
| Aantal pagina's | 27 |
| ISBN van geprinte versie | 978-3-98554-131-7 |
| DOI's | |
| Status | Published - 2025 |
Publicatie series
| Naam | Language Variation |
|---|---|
| Uitgeverij | Language Science Press |
| Nummer | 10 |