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Crossing the line: Effect of border representation in perceptual dialectology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2022

Erica J. Benson  and
Anneli Williams
Erica J. Benson*
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Eau Claire, WI, USA
Anneli Williams
Affiliation:
Universität Ulm, Ulm, Germany
*
Author for correspondence: Erica J. Benson. E-mail: bensonej@uwec.edu
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Abstract

This study investigates the effect of differing representations of state boundaries on the draw-a-map task in perceptual dialectology in a region of the United States. The typical draw-a-map survey instrument represents state borders with solid lines. Would respondents react differently to maps with dashed-line state borders? More specifically, would respondents draw more dialect areas that cross state lines on maps with dashed-line state borders versus solid-line state borders? These questions are explored through two datasets, and similarities and differences emerge. For example, respondents of both map types draw more single-state dialect areas than multistate dialect areas, and respondents with dashed-line maps draw more dialect areas on average than respondents with solid state maps. While dataset 1 showed a significant association between map type and multistate dialect area with respondents using dashed-line border maps drawing more multistate dialect areas than respondents with solid-line maps, H(1) = 5.13, P = .017, this association was not significant in dataset 2, H(1) = .06, P = .798.

Keywords

draw-a-map taskmethodologylanguage regard
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Linguistic Geography , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , October 2022 , pp. 67 - 75
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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