This collection of articles emerged from a research project that observes standardization as sociolinguistic change from transversal perspectives, making use of both quantitative and qualitative analyses of language use across three generations in three traditional dialect areas in Denmark: Southern Jutland, Northern Jutland, and the island of Bornholm.
Chapter1 by Marie Maegaard introduces the theoretical frame of sociolinguistic change, the extent of standardization and dedialectalization in Denmark, transversal approaches, information on the three field sites, data collection, and the structure of the book.
Chapter 2 by Maegaard and Malene Monka presents the results of quantitative analyses of language change in apparent time across three generations in each field site. Standardization processes are taking place in all three sites, albeit at different rates and in different modes. The standardization process in Bornholm has nearly reached completion with the youngest generation, and in Northern Jutland only a few regional variants are in use, whereas in Southern Jutland, local dialect features show a high level of use among young speakers.
Chapter 3 by Monka uses the case of Southern Jutland to illustrate how local ideologies of place, based on specific sociohistorical changes, can influence the preservation of the local dialect in an otherwise highly linguistically standardized country. The local dialect in Southern Jutland was ascribed a symbolic meaning of authenticity and loyalty to Denmark and the region because of past territorial struggles with foreign nations. Chapter 4 by Kristine Køhler Mortensen presents a very different example of standardization in Northern Jutland. In this speech community, traditional dialect features are rarely used. However, at the level of ideology, processes of both regionalization and standardization are present and mediatization plays a crucial role, especially in shifting the evaluation of the regional variety from ‘normal’ and ‘neutral’ in everyday contexts to ‘farmer-like’ or non-prestigious in the media. Chapter 5 by Andreas Candefors Stæhr & Anne Larsen illustrates an example of advanced standardization in Bornholm, but where dialect features and the distinctive dialect intonation are still used in more or less stylized ways in peer and family interaction.
Chapter 6 by Maegaard & Pia Quist reports on a comparative experimental study of language attitudes in the three field sites. It shows differences between the sites in both attitudes towards speakers and the perception of them as belonging to different regions. Chapter 7 by Stæhr, Monka, Quist, & Larsen argues that mediatization has significant impacts on contemporary processes of standardization, contributing to enhanced dedialectalization in some ways, but to revitalization of the dialect in others. Chapter 8 by Jann Scheuer, Larsen, Maegaard, Monka, & Mortensen analyzes language ideology as metapragmatic discourse and argues that differences in language ideologies in the three sites lead to differences in the patterns of language use.
Chapter 9 by Maegaard, Monka, Mortensen, & Stæhr summarizes the findings of the previous chapters and presents the main theoretical and empirical implications. David Britain concludes in chapter 10 with a commentary and adds perspectives for transversal sociolinguistic research in dialectology.
In summary, this book paves the way for the empirical study of standardization as sociolinguistic change using a transversal methodology, not simply by being multi-sited, or multi-methodological, but also by collecting different data types systematically in all field sites. It will prove valuable in deepening sociolinguistic understanding of language standardization in contemporary societies.
