Register evolution in an immigrant language: The case of some Indiana German dialects

Abstract

This article treats two aspects of linguistic (especially lexical) variation in a number of dialects of German spoken in southwestern Indiana for over 150 years, but which have now reached relatively late stages of language death. I first trace evidence for changes in stylistic range or register during the lifespan of these linguistic varieties. Crucial here are both the notion of “base register” (rather than the traditional “base dialect”) and the role of a standard variety, spoken and written, in the community. Second, I discuss several examples of innovative differences across the dialects, that is, changes which serve to increase the linguistic distance among the dialects. This counterpart to levelling in a colonial setting is connected with change in the linguistic register found within the communities.