Atlas of the Balkan Linguistic Area – ABLA
Atlas of the Balkan linguistic area
When contact-induced change and borrowing become systematic across a number of languages and persist over time, language clusters are found containing languages which, although not genetically related, have become more similar. The areas in which such languages are spoken are referred to as “Sprachbund,” “convergence area,” and “linguistic area” (Trubetzkoy, 1928). The most well-known linguistic area is the Balkans.
General goals
To obtain an up-to-date and detailed picture of what the Balkans as a linguistic area look like, we propose to create an online database that carefully maps the linguistic features in various languages and dialects and to relate them to the socio-historical information available. Friedman (2021) points to the need for such an atlas in an overview chapter about the Balkans: “The concept of a multilingual Balkan linguistic atlas, one that could take into account the various dialects of the various languages and oriented toward mapping the actual instantiations and occurrences of various Balkanisms, is, close to a century after it was first mooted […], a desideratum” (Friedman, 2021: 398). <br /><br />Our project aims to fill this gap, by bringing together the scientific and technological experts needed in order to create an online linguistic atlas of the Balkans. Such an atlas would not only be a technological achievement in agreement with current open science goals, where the datasets will be FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) (Wilkinson et al., 2016), but would also allow for extensive empirical testing of the concept of linguistic area by examining how linguistic features intertwine in a given geographical area by taking into consideration smaller contact areas within the larger contact area. The project would also pave the way and provide a model for the creation of databases for other linguistic areas around the world. The mapping of linguistic features and the coding of external factors such as the local geographical environment, political boundaries, and networks between regions as expressed through the existence of roads, will allow our team to review external factors.
We will work with the researchers to elaborate a list of linguistic features by taking into consideration their linguistic expertise. Each researcher will also provide a list of localities for the languages of their expertise depending on whether data are available and on their relevance for the discussion of the Balkans as a linguistic area.
Both teams include members with extensive experience in fieldwork in the Balkans. Each researcher, in agreement with the PIs, will decide whether new data need to be collected through original fieldwork. In addition, each researcher will identify and gather the resources needed for the language(s) of their expertise.
The contributors will fill in the online database by selecting the appropriate value(s). They will also provide bibliographical references and examples (including sound when possible) illustrating the feature.
The resulting Atlas will be deposited for long-term archiving on HumaNum (https://www.huma-num.fr/) and will be made available online. A mirror site will also be available in Russia.
The Atlas of the Balkan Linguistic Area project will build an online database of language contact phenomena as attested in the Balkan languages and contribute to theoretical discussions in areal linguistics.
ABLA will consist of 100+ phonological, morpho-syntactic, semantic, and lexical features. Each feature will be matched to a map covering 70+ localities and language varieties spoken across all Balkan countries. Each map will be accompanied by a chapter co-authored by the project contributors.
ABLA will not only be the first online database for the Balkans, an area shaped by multilingualism in forms that are rapidly disappearing, but will further serve as an example for other linguistic areas in the world.
The online database is hosted by HumaNum. It will also be published by an international publisher.
The Atlas of the Balkan Linguistic Area project will build an online database of language contact phenomena as attested in the Balkan languages and contribute to theoretical discussions in areal linguistics. ABLA will consist of 100+ phonological, morpho-syntactic, semantic, and lexical features, drawing on a linguistic questionnaire to be designed based on the Russian team’s expertise with atlases. Each feature will be matched to a map covering 70+ localities across all Balkan countries. Each map will be accompanied by a chapter co-authored by the project contributors. The online database will be developed by the French team and hosted by HumaNum via the Pangloss Collection with a mirror site in Russia. ABLA will also be published by an international publisher. ABLA will not only be the first online database for the Balkans, an area shaped by multilingualism in forms that are rapidly disappearing, but will further serve as an example for other linguistic areas in the world.
Project coordination
Evangelia Adamou (Laboratoire de Langues & Civilisations à Tradition Orale)
The author of this summary is the project coordinator, who is responsible for the content of this summary. The ANR declines any responsibility as for its contents.
Partner
LACITO Laboratoire de Langues & Civilisations à Tradition Orale
Russian Academy of Sciences / Institute for Linguistic Research
SeDyL Structure et Dynamique des Langues
Help of the ANR 216,608 euros
Beginning and duration of the scientific project:
December 2021
- 36 Months
