Article published in:
Variation in Indigenous Minority LanguagesEdited by James N. Stanford and Dennis R. Preston
[IMPACT: Studies in Language, Culture and Society 25] 2009
► pp. 347–368
15. Fine-grained morphophonological variation in Scottish Gaelic: Evidence from the Linguistic Survey of Scotland
Anna Bosch | University of Kentucky
James Scobbie | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh
Descriptive accounts of Scottish Gaelic dialects (e.g. Borgstrøm 1937; Oftedal 1956; Ternes 1973) have noted significant regional variation in the surface description of nasal mutation; this paper brings previously unpublished data from archives of the Linguistic Survey of Scotland to bear on the full range of variation across Gaelic speaking Scotland. We employ these data to map out the actual range of variation in the nasal mutation; using Mapmaker software we focus on three graded parameters: voicing, aspiration, and nasalization. With this research we demonstrate the continuing value of “historical” data for the analysis of endangered and minority languages. As yet, no maps have been published based on this survey data.
Published online: 15 April 2009
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.25.18bos
https://doi.org/10.1075/impact.25.18bos