Dialect Change Convergence and Divergence in European Languages [Paperback]

This book brings together a team of leading scholars to explore all aspects of recent dialect change.Dialects are constantly changing, and due to increased mobility in recent years, European dialects have 'levelled', making it difficult to distinguish a native of Reading from a native of London, or a native of Bonn from a native of Cologne. This book brings together a team of leading scholars to discuss all aspects of recent dialect change, in particular dialect convergence and divergence. Each specially-commissioned chapter is based on original research, giving an overview of current work on the particular issue and presenting case studies to illustrate the points raised.Dialects are constantly changing, and due to increased mobility in recent years, European dialects have 'levelled', making it difficult to distinguish a native of Reading from a native of London, or a native of Bonn from a native of Cologne. This book brings together a team of leading scholars to discuss all aspects of recent dialect change, in particular dialect convergence and divergence. Each specially-commissioned chapter is based on original research, giving an overview of current work on the particular issue and presenting case studies to illustrate the points raised.With dialects constantly changing and mobility increasing in recent years, it has become difficult to distinguish between such local accents as one from London or Reading, Bonn or Cologne. This book's authoritative contributors cover all aspects of recent dialect change, in particular, dialect convergence and divergence. Each commissioned chapter, based on original research, provides an overview of a particular issue and presents case studies to illustrate points raised.List of maps; List of figures; List of contributors; Preface; Map; 1. The study of dialect convergence and divergence: conceptual and methodological considerations F. Hinskens, P. Auer and P. Kerswill; Part I. Convergence, Divergence and Linguistic Structure: 2. IlS½