Dialect Images of the Young Eastern Aukštaitians of Anykščiai, Kupiškis and Utena: Borders and Objective Dialecticity

Abstract

The article presents a study of the images of the dialect spoken by the young Eastern Aukštaitians of Anykščiai, Kùpiškis and Utenà. The research material is the data on schoolchildren’s attitudes from their answers to the questions in the questionnaire conducted and prepared according to the methodological principles of perceptual dialectology.

The data analysis shows that young Eastern Aukštaitians of Utenà (the subjects of Utenà and Rõkiškis) consider themselves the most active users of the dialect code. The Eastern Aukštaitians of Anykščiai (schoolchildren from Anykščiai) also admit to speaking the dialect. The Eastern Aukštaitians of Kùpiškis (schoolchildren from Kùpiškis) tend to distance themselves from this code. Drawn (mental) maps of the dialects reveal the similar attitudes of the subjects.

Young Eastern Aukštaitians recognise a person who speaks the dialect mainly by the sound characteristics. The system of the objective dialecticity features of the speakers under research includes not only the fuzzy but also the characteristic and distinguishing traits of the subdialects analysed.

The images of dialecticity (places and features) that have emerged from the attitudes of young language users and evaluators allow us to identify the researched members of the language community not only as Eastern Aukštaitians but also as Eastern Aukštaitians of Anykščiai, Kùpiškis and Utenà.