IE and Substrates and Time

[Sheila Watts]

>BTW, there is on the web, a neat site called Enthnologue put up by the SIT
>that is a catalogue of world languages (I think it is UN info.)  There one
>learns for example such things as:

>"ALLEMANNISCH (ALEMANNISCH, ALLEMANNIC, ALEMANNIC, SCHWYZERDÜTSCH,
>ALSATIAN) [GSW] (300,000 in Austria; 1991 Annemarie Schmid; 4,225,000 in
>Switzerland; 1986). Southwestern. Also in Alsace, France. Indo-European,
>Germanic, West, Continental, High. Approximately 40% inherent
>intelligibility with Standard German. Speakers are bilingual in Standard
>German. Called 'Schwyzerdütsch' in Switzerland, 'Alsatian' in
>southeastern France. Similar to Swabian. Differs from most other German
>varieties in not having undergone the second lautverschiebung, or vowel
>shift. NT 1984. Bible portions 1936-1986."

I _do_ hope this is not the UN's info. Though it could be a good reason to
persuade them to hire some linguists at large salaries.
Just a few things:
- 'speakers are bilingual in Standard German' - not necessarily, most of
the Alsatian ones speak French as their standard language.
- 'similiar to Swabian'. Facile. They're German dialects. You could add
'similar to Bavarian, not unlike Franconian etc.'.
- 'not having undergone the second lautverschiebung or vowel shift'. Wow!
Swiss German has more second Lautverschiebung than most, e.g. kchind. It
doesn't have anything to do with vowels. What they probably mean is 'the
NHG Diphthongisation', which really is absent in that southwestern corner.

Sheila Watts
_______________________________________________________
Dr Sheila Watts
Newnham College
Cambridge CB3 9DF
United Kingdom

phone +44 1223 335816