Date:  Wed, 29 Nov 1995 11:49:14 -0600

From:  "Timothy C. Frazer" <mftcf[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UXA.ECN.BGU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Separate dialects?



On Wed, 29 Nov 1995 EJOHNSON[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MSUVX2.MEMPHIS.EDU wrote:

>

> This is interesting to me, since my work is mostly on the lexicon, which is

> seen by many as marking only superficial dialect differences compared with the

> more important phon. and syn. ("structural") diffs. Kurath claimed that where

> one finds lexical diffs, there are likely to be other types of diffs as well.

> I would add that cultural features would be lilkely to differ too.

>

> Are there other areas that people think are marked only by lexicon but not by

> other features? I would expect the vocabulary to behave differently because

> the rate of lg. change there seems more rapid and because of differences in

> acquisition. I'd like to hear more on this topic.

>

> Ellen Johnson

> ejohnson[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]cc.memphis.edu

>

There are places in Illinois like this. On the LANCS field records, "cow

yard" sets apart Jo Daviess County (in NW Ill) aprt from the rest of the

state. This redsponse was given by all 3 LANCS informants. Shuys's

Midland speech island in NW Illinois is mostly a lexical phenomenon. In

my PhD diss. there are some lexical items that highlight old settlement

routes like the Cumberland Road (now I-70) and the Ohio River where some

Pa German stuff turns up. See also Gordon Woods PADS (or AS) pice from

about 35 or 40 years ago, where lexicon highlights Midland traders'

routes thru Alabama and (?) I think Georgia.



Tim