Change in the Vowel System of Munich: An Exploratory Case Study
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
German, English
Mentor Information
Kathryn Remlinger
Department
English
Location
Henry Hall Atrium 76
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Social Science
Abstract
Although regional dialect use is increasing throughout Bavaria, the Bavarian capital city of Munich is experiencing the opposite phenomenon. Munich youth have begun abandoning Bavarian dialects in favor of Standard German (Hochdeutsch). This exploratory case study investigates apparent-time vowel change in the Munich variety of German as a result of this phenomenon. One 60 year-old and four 17-25 year-old Munich natives participated in recorded German-language interviews modeled after those from William Labov's 1966 NYC study. The sixteen monophthongs of German as spoken in conversational and wordlist speech styles are examined. The data reveal backing of the front closed and mid vowels (/i:/, /j/, /e:/, /[:/, and /[/) in both conversational and wordlist styles. Future studies may determine whether these patterns are more widely spread and may focus on these vowels to gain a clearer sense of ongoing change in the Munich dialect.
Change in the Vowel System of Munich: An Exploratory Case Study
Henry Hall Atrium 76
Although regional dialect use is increasing throughout Bavaria, the Bavarian capital city of Munich is experiencing the opposite phenomenon. Munich youth have begun abandoning Bavarian dialects in favor of Standard German (Hochdeutsch). This exploratory case study investigates apparent-time vowel change in the Munich variety of German as a result of this phenomenon. One 60 year-old and four 17-25 year-old Munich natives participated in recorded German-language interviews modeled after those from William Labov's 1966 NYC study. The sixteen monophthongs of German as spoken in conversational and wordlist speech styles are examined. The data reveal backing of the front closed and mid vowels (/i:/, /j/, /e:/, /[:/, and /[/) in both conversational and wordlist styles. Future studies may determine whether these patterns are more widely spread and may focus on these vowels to gain a clearer sense of ongoing change in the Munich dialect.