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A Bavarian -speaking 1. Introduction1 data2 is missing, as the study by Gröger is the Exception in Alemannic- only detailed linguistic description of the speaking : he municipality of , situated German in Samnaun. in the extreme east of Switzerland, In this paper, I present a new research The Case of Samnaun project which seeks to fill this gap. The T stands out from the rest of German- speaking Switzerland: Samnaun is usually project is dedicated to the current linguistic A Project Presentation described as the only place where not an situation in Samnaun. Its working title is Bairisch-alemannischer Sprachkontakt. Das Journal Article Alemannic, but a Bavarian dialect is spoken (cf., e.g., Sonderegger 2003: 2839; Wiesinger Spektrum der sprachlichen Variation in Susanne Oberholzer 1983: 817). This claim is based on a study by Samnaun (‘Bavarian-Alemannic Language Gröger (1924) and has found its way into Contact. The Range of Linguistic Variation in Samnaun has been described as the only Samnaun’). This paper describes Samnaun Bavarian-speaking municipality in Ale- many linguistic descriptions of (German- mannic-speaking Switzerland on the basis speaking) Switzerland. In the literature, this and summarises the available descriptions of of a study done in 1924. Hints in the viewpoint has been almost unchallenged for its language situation as well as the aims, literature about the presence of other over 90 years. Hints about the presence of research questions, and methods of the varieties for everyday communication – an other varieties (an Alemannic dialect as well planned project. intermediate variety on the dialect- standard -axis as well as an Alemannic as an intermediate variety on the dialect- In section 2, I sketch the municipality of dialect – have not resulted in more recent standard-axis) from the second half of the Samnaun. After giving some background research. This paper describes the re- 20th century have remained unexplored. information about the municipality itself – search agenda of a project that aims at the However, as economic conditions as well as especially about the geographical and description of the current range of living conditions have changed a lot over the economic situation – I describe the linguistic linguistic variation in this municipality in the extreme east of Switzerland, bordering past decades and Samnaun is no longer as history of the valley where Samnaun is on . It contains background infor- geographically isolated as it was in the 2 mation about Samnaun, a description of its The papers by Weider (2012, 2013) show in a beginning of the last century (and before), it rather impressionist and anecdotal way some language history, and an overview of is an open question whether the linguistic linguistic phenomena of Samnaun’s German. previous linguistic descriptions of the situation has changed too. Recent linguistic Weider does not present any linguistic data which valley. The paper also discusses the help to answer the question about the shape of the research questions and the aims of the varietal spectrum, he lists only “interessante Fälle” project as well as its methodology. The (“interesting cases”; my translation; Weider 2013: 1 project makes a contribution to the I would like to thank Barbara Johnstone for her 417f.) or rather “eine kunterbunte Kostprobe” (“a research about language contact, change help with the manuscript and Philipp Stoeckle for varied sample”; my translation; Weider 2012: 165– the creation of the maps. 167). in language as well as to research about language shift. 1 0 p l u s 1 10plus1: Living | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics L I v I n g L I n g u I s t I c s Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 48 located. The focus is on the transition from a Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking to a German- speaking community. Then I summarise previous linguistic descriptions of the valley and discuss the conclusions drawn by them. Section 3 discusses the main research questions. Section 4 provides an overview of the project’s methodology. I describe the methods of variationist linguistics used in previous sociolinguistic research on varieties of German that I will employ in my study. The composition of the sample of informants and the data collection protocols are also discussed. Finally, the section provides an overview of the linguistic variables to be investigated in this study. Section 5 summarises the project presentation provided in this paper and gives a broader perspective on the relevance of this project for variationist and sociolinguistic research.

2. The Location of Samnaun within Switzerland Figure 1 Map of Eastern Switzerland, the Austrian Federal States and as well as Parts of Italian Southern Tyrol (Map Created by Philipp Stoeckle). The municipality of Samnaun, in the extreme towards German took place in the 19th east: the inhabitants of the Austrian federal north-east of the Swiss Canton of century. However, Samnaun’s speakers did state of Tyrol. In this section, I give some (cf. Figure 1), is an interesting site of not shift to an Alemannic variety of German background information on Samnaun and an language contact: After a long Rhaeto- like other German Swiss, but to the Southern overview of the linguistic situation there as Romanic-speaking period, language shift Bavarian variety of their neighbours in the researchers have described it in the past.

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2.1 Samnaun – Geography, Economy and Language Shift

The municipality of Samnaun is situated on a valley floor in the , 1700 meters above sea level (Gemeinde Samnaun 2016c), and borders on the Austrian federal state Tyrol (cf. Figure 2). The whole region is in a certain sense a border region: The border between the Austrian federal states Vorarlberg and Tyrol is close as well as the border between Austria and (autonomous province ). The Swiss surroundings, however, are located beyond a mountain range, which is important for Samnaun’s linguistic and economic history. Seen from Switzerland, Samnaun is one of the most isolated mountain municipalities in the country (cf. Carnot 1984: 45). The municipality of Samnaun comprises five villages: Compatsch, Laret, Plan, Raveisch and Samnaun. There were 737 Figure 2 Map Showing the Swiss-Austrian-Italian Border Area with the Geographical Situation of inhabitants at the end of 2014, 71.8 % of Samnaun (Map Created by Philipp Stoeckle). whom were Swiss citizens (Gemeinde Samnaun 2015). The municipality’s eco- average of 74.4 % (Bundesamt für Statistik The valley was settled by people from Lower nomic life is distinguished for its large share 2015: 3595). This is the result of the thriving Engadine:3 Samnaun’s population spoke of people working in the service sector: tourism sector in Samnaun.

93.2 % compared to the overall Swiss 3 Vital (1918: 171), however, believes that Tyroleans populated the valley.

10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 50 exclusively Rhaeto-Romanic for centuries Language shift was complete by the early opened. Due to this, economic conditions7 in (cf., e.g., Jenal-Ruffner 2009: 120). Due to its years of the 20th century. Florian Melcher Samnaun changed: Tourism arrived in the isolated situation, with no year-round road and Robert von Planta succeeded in valley (cf. Carnot 1984: 55). This led to a connection to the rest of Switzerland even recording the Rhaeto-Romanic dialect of change with regard to language: Contact by foot, Samnaun’s people for a long time Samnaun at the beginning of the last with German became more interacted mainly with Tyroleans of the century, in the years 1899–1910 (cf. Kramer intense as they visited the valley as tourists. neighbouring Inn Valley.4 These interactions 1982: 10, footnote 11; Ritter 1981: 36).6 Furthermore, the emergence of radio in the were initially of an economic nature, in time Thus language shift took place later in 1930s (cf. Schade 2015) and of television in also of a family nature (cf. Carnot 1984: 45). Samnaun than in the neighbouring Austrian the end of the 1950s (cf. Ganz-Blättler & This close relationship to the Tyrolean Federal states Tyrol and Vorarlberg (cf. Mäusli 2015) resulted in increased exposure neighbours was one of the reasons for Klausmann & Krefeld 1986: 122; Plangg to Alemannic for Samnaun’s language shift during the 19th century: The 1993: 174). In the Engadine neighbourhood population. The impact of these factors on valley area was Germanised, probably after a ( and Val Müstair), however, Samnaun’s linguistic conditions – which will certain phase of bilingualism (cf. Carnot the Germanising process is still ongoing and have changed at least the receptive 1984: 52; Gröger 1924: 105; Jenal-Ruffner Rhaeto-Romanic is still a very vital language knowledge of Alemannic varieties – has not 2009: 124).5 The maintenance of Rhaeto- at least in some municipalities (cf. Cumün da been studied yet, however. Romanic was difficult for another reason, Val Müstair 2016; Gemeinde 2016). too: The valley was completely isolated from As noted, isolation from the rest of 2.2 Language History and Linguistic the Rhaeto-Romanic world (which was Switzerland conditioned – at least partly – Description of Samnaun in the 20th situated beyond the mountain range the language situation and language shift in and the Early 21st Century mentioned above). Kramer (1982: 9, 15) Samnaun. But after centuries of isolation, suggests that the necessary willpower to the situation changed considerably in 1912 As mentioned above, several researchers keep the Rhaeto-Romanic language was when a road that is passable all year round describe Samnaun as the only municipality in missing. connecting Samnaun to Engadine was finally German-speaking Switzerland where a

7 Due to its isolated geographical situation, Samnaun became a customs enclave in 1892 (cf. Margadant 4 Engadine could only be reached on foot in summer 1973; Gemeinde Samnaun 2016a) and still is one over a mountain pass. 6 Ritter (1981) analysed the phonetics and although the historical reasons for the measure 5 There were probably other reasons for language phonology of this now extinct dialect. Further- (geographical isolation, no road open all year round change, too, among others the employment of a more, the probably only audio recording of the to Switzerland, economic relations almost exclu- Tyrolean teacher (cf. Carnot 1984: 51f.). Rhaeto-Romanic dialect was made in 1916. sively with Austria) do not exist any longer.

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Bavarian rather than an Alemannic dialect is 1924, Gröger carried out the only systematic and syntax remain unexplored.10 Periphe- spoken (e.g., Sonderegger 2003: 2839). analysis of this dialect, focusing on pho- rally, language contact between Rhaeto- When the originally Rhaeto-Romanic- nological and phonetic features. It is his Romanic and German has been surveyed speaking municipality was Germanised analysis which serves as the basis for the (e.g., Gröger 1924; Kramer 1982; Ritter during the 19th century, the people adopted assumption that Samnaun is still Bavarian- 1981). There has not been any research the dialect of their neighbours in the speaking today. Samnaun was one of the about the Bavarian dialect since Gröger’s Austrian federal state Tyrol in the east, locations where data were collected for the study. In his classification of German which is a dialect (cf., e.g., two Austrian linguistic atlases of Vorarlberg , Wiesinger (1983: 817) writes that Gröger 1924: 104f.; Ritter 1981: 24–26) and (VALTS, Gabriel 1985–2006) and Tyrol (TSA, Samnaun stands with the of not an Alemannic dialect like that of other Klein et al. 1965–1971) as well as for the Northern Tyrol without dealing with it in German-speaking Swiss.8 There was dictionary of Bavarian dialects in Austria more detail. Sonderegger (2003: 2839) probably no or at least not much contact (WBÖ, Kranzmayer et al. 1963–). These describes the dialect of Samnaun as “einzige with Alemannic speakers at that time, since focus first and foremost on lexical and nichtalem. Mundart auf dem Boden der the Swiss surroundings were Rhaeto-Ro- phonetic phenomena. In addition to the atlas Schweiz” (“the only non-Alemannic dialect in manic-speaking and not Germanised. and dictionary material, a few audio Switzerland”; my translation). He writes, Up to the present, research regarding recordings of the German (Southern referring to Gröger, that the originally the German dialect of Samnaun has been Bavarian) dialect were made in Samnaun by Rhaeto-Romanic-speaking community shif- restricted to the Bavarian local dialect.9 In Austrian dialectologists (in the years 1916, ted to German only in the 19th century and 1926 and 1958). Swiss researchers, how- adopted the Southern-Bavarian-Tyrolean 8 The Swiss German dialects form part of Southern ever, have neglected the region due to its dialect of its northern surroundings in Alemannic. They can be assigned to High Alemannic status as a non-Alemannic speaking commu- Austria.11 Sonderegger gives religious rea- (German ‘Hochalemannisch’) on the one hand (most dialects of northern German-speaking nity. Therefore, no data were collected in Switzerland) and Highest Alemannic (German Samnaun for the Swiss German dictionary 10 ‘Höchstalemannisch’) on the other (the more (Schweizerisches Idiotikon), nor for the There is a so-called Wenkerbogen for Samnaun; archaic dialects in the southern, mostly Alpine part with this kind of questionnaire, single local dialects of German-speaking Switzerland). Cf. Sonderegger linguistic atlas of German-speaking Switzer- were surveyed between 1876 and 1887 in (2003: 2837f. and especially figure 190.5) for this land (SDS), nor for the syntactic atlas of and later on (from 1926 to 1933) also question. Besides Samnaun, only the city dialect of outside Germany (cf. regionalsprache.de 2016). Basle does not belong to Southern Alemannic (the German-speaking Switzerland (SADS). The questionnaire focused mainly on phonetic dialect belongs to the Lower Alemannic dialect Research on the linguistic conditions in features, but is nowadays often used for morpho- group, cf. Sonderegger 2003: 2838). syntactical analyses (cf., e.g., Schallert 2015). 9 Samnaun has been restricted mostly to the 11 I use the term local dialect to refer to what Wie- Many of the overall descriptions of German- singer (2010: 363) calls “Basisdialekt”. phonetic-phonological level; morphology speaking Switzerland, also of recent date, follow

10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 52 sons as well as geographical ones for the an intermediate variety (‘Umgangssprache’) sprechen Samnaunderdeutsch nur mit transition to the Southern Bavarian dialect: in Bavarian-speaking Samnaun:15 The ihresgleichen oder Menschen, die schon lange im Tale sind und den Dialekt auch “[…] da die Samnauner ihre Frauen dann im Austrian researchers Hornung and Kranz- vorbehaltlos verstehen.16 benachbarten katholischen Tirol (Inntal, mayer made a recording in Samnaun in 1958 Paznauntal) holten, deren tirolischer Dialekt and described the variety in the written 2.3 Interim Summary: 12 bis heute maßgeblich blieb” (Sonderegger recording report (for the Phonogrammarchiv One or Two Language Shifts 13 2004: 3360). Vienna) as “etwas verkehrssprachlich” (“a in the Past Two Centuries? While Sonderegger proceeded on the little colloquial”; my translation). Besides assumption that the Southern Bavarian this, there seems to be another variety To sum up, after the language shift from Dialect remained “maßgeblich” (“significant”; available for oral communication in Sam- Rhaeto-Romanic to German, important my translation) in the year 2004, other naun: Gabriel (1985: 47) claimed that the extralinguistic changes took place in the sources show that there are at least two colloquial language used with non-locals is beginning of the 20th century – the opening other varieties playing a certain role in Swiss German, while the Tyrolean local of a year-round road to the rest of Samnaun. As the linguistic situation in the dialect has been displaced to the most Switzerland, the emergence of television and 14 Bavarian-speaking part of Austria is intimate sphere. The question of which other media, the emergence of tourism – usually described as a dialect-standard- variety Samnaun’s people use is also that possibly resulted in linguistic develop- continuum (cf., e.g., Ammon 2003: 164; addressed on the municipality’s own website ments. As the only study on Samnaun’s Ammon et al. 2004: XXXVI), it is not sur- (Gemeinde Samnaun 2016b): language is from 1924, only a short time prising to find indicators of the existence of after the road opening and before the Immer wieder werden wir mit der Frage beginning of broadcasting, we know nothing this statement (e.g. Christen 2005: 22; Haas 2000: konfrontiert, weshalb wir in Gesellschaft 59; Siebenhaar & Wyler 1997: 30). “Anderssprachiger” uns nicht unseres about the results of these changes. Most 12 “As the male population of Samnaun went to the Dialektes bedienen. […] Die Samnauner subsequent researchers have followed neighbouring Catholic Tyrol (Inn Valley, Paznaun Gröger (1924) in assessing the local dialect Valley) for their wives, whose Tyrolean dialect has remained significant until today” (my translation). 15 The situation in the rest of German-speaking 13 The Reformation reached Engadine in the 1550s Switzerland is different: it is usually described as (cf. Rüegger 2006), but Samnaun stayed Roman- where there are no intermediate varieties 16 “Again and again we are confronted with the Catholic (cf. Gemeinde Samnaun 2016d). between the two poles dialect and Standard question why we do not make use of our dialect 14 The Alemannic-speaking Austrian federal state German (cf., e.g., Sieber 2010; for a detailed when speaking to people speaking a different Vorarlberg, however, has traditionally been discussion about the two possible models to language. […] Samnaun’s people speak Samnaun’s described as a diglossic area. Cf. Ender & Kaiser describe the language situation – diglossia on the German only with people of their own kind or (2014) as well as Kaiser & Ender (2015) for the one hand and bilingualism on the other – cf. persons who have been in the valley for a long time question if this opinion is justified. Oberholzer 2015: 50–72). and understand the dialect easily.” (my translation)

10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 53 of Samnaun as a Southern Bavarian variety. question, along with others that I present in dency towards the loss of the Southern Nevertheless, not unexpectedly, there are the following section. Bavarian local dialect and the spread of hints of an intermediate variety or rather a Alemannic features within the dialect? possible Alemannic colloquial variety, but 3. Research Questions  Are there differences between the these hints have not been followed up. range of variation of younger speakers Laypeople describe these changes in The research project presented in this paper in manual professions (with little language (use), however. The municipality aims to fill the gap outlined in the previous contact with tourists) and those in states on its web page that inhabitants do section by describing what the range of communication oriented professions not use the dialect with people who speak a linguistic variation in Samnaun looks like (with much contact with tourists)? different language/dialect (cf. Gemeinde today. In particular, my research questions  Do Samnaun people use Swiss Standard Samnaun 2016b). The question arises: are these: German or Austrian ? Which variety do they speak, then? Jenal-  How is the vertical range of variation Is the Bavarian local dialect roofed (cf. Ruffner (2009: 125), in his description of structured? Which German varieties do Ammon 2004 for the term) by Swiss daily routine in Samnaun, states that there the autochthonous people in Samnaun Standard German, thus forming a have been developments in Samnaun’s have at their disposal? complementary case to the Austrian language in the past years, due to tourism  Is there a dialect-standard-continuum, federal state Vorarlberg’s Alemannic and immigration that have affected the or are there clearly distinguished dialects, which are roofed by Austrian dialect strongly, according to Jenal-Ruffner: varieties between dialect and Standard Standard German (cf. Ender & Kaiser “Vermischungs- and Verwässerungspro- German? 2014: 132)? zesse” (“mixing and dilution processes”; my  Is the local dialect still a clearly As noted below (section 4.4), the focus will translation) have taken place. Southern Bavarian variety or is it be on the phonological, morpho-syntactical Samnaun underwent a language shift evolving towards an Alemannic variety and lexical levels. from a Romance to a Germanic language in due to contact with Alemannic-speaking th the 19 century. The question is: Has it tourists and/or the consumption of 4. Methods undergone a second language shift from a national Swiss German media? Bavarian-speaking community to an  If there is still a Southern Bavarian local The project requires field research. In this th Alemannic-speaking one in the 20 century, dialect, is it used mainly by the older section, I discuss the methods I will use to or is this process maybe currently ongoing? generation? And is it possible to observe collect data and how my sample of This research project aims to answer this a change in apparent time, with a ten- informants will be constructed.

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4.1 Modern Methods of Variationist in Norddeutschland” (SiN; Language analysis of phonetic-phonological19 variables Linguistics Variation in Northern Germany) at the (mostly in combination with assessments of universities of Frankfurt (Oder), Kiel, dialect degree as well as hearer evaluations) In the German-speaking language area, Hamburg, Münster, Bielefeld and Potsdam in association with a cluster analysis. This research on a range of variation can be done are dedicated to the investigation of vertical way, for instance Lenz (2003; 2010: 302, Fig. in parts of Germany and in greater parts of variation. The main focus of these studies is 17.4) established five speech levels or rather Austria, where a dialect-standard- on so-called “Regionalsprache” (”regional concentration zones (Regional Accent, continuum exists. As for German-speaking language”; my translation), which comprises Upper Regional Nonstandard, Lower Switzerland (apart from Samnaun?), no the “Sprechlagen” (“varieties and speech Regional Nonstandard, Regional Dialect and intermediate variety between the poles levels”; my translation) ‘below’ the standard Base Dialect) and two varieties (regiolect dialect and standard variety exists (cf. variety (cf. Ganswindt et al. 2015: 426). and dialect) for the region of Wittlich footnote 15), so there is no such research. Researchers control the linguistic behaviour (Rhineland-Palatinate). While empirical research in Austria on of their informants (two or three generations Thus, I can avail myself of a proven set the range of linguistic variation has only just compared with each other) by setting up of methods and analytical models for started,17 research in Germany on this topic different data collection situations in order analysing vertical variation. Slight is well advanced. The work of Lenz (2003), to evoke different varieties or speech levels. adaptations may turn out to be necessary Lameli (2004) and Kehrein (2012), as well as As a rule, these situations are a conversation due to the current language situation. In various studies resulting from the long-term among friends, an interview, and dialect and addition, I plan to extend the analysis project “Regionalsprache.de” (REDE; standard competency tests (cf., e.g., Kehrein beyond the phonetic-phonological level. It is Regional Language in Germany) at the 2012: 75f.; Lenz 2003: 65). This an open question to what extent the results Forschungszentrum Deutscher Sprachatlas methodology has proven to be effective at regarding the number of varieties and in Marburg and the project “Sprachvariation obtaining data that varies on the dialect- speech levels from Germany can be applied standard-axis (cf., e.g., Kehrein 2012: 343). to an area where the local dialect probably

17 The classification of varieties and speech plays a far greater role, as in the Bavarian- This research is part of the Special Research 18 Programme “German in Austria (Deutsch in levels occurs as a rule on the basis of the speaking area. At this point, I assume that I Österreich – DiÖ). Variation – Contact – Perception” started in January 2016 at the universities of Vienna, and as well as at the Österreichische Akademie für Wissen- schaften, cf. http://dioe.at/teilprojekte/pp03- 19 Kallenborn (in prep.) does the first analysis on the sprachrepertoires-und-variationsspektren/ pp03- 18 Lenz prefers the term “Verdichtungsbereiche” – in basis of syntactic variables for the Moselle speech-repertoires-and-varietal-spectra/. English: “concentration zones” (cf. Lenz 2010: 303). area.

10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 55 will find several varieties (and not primarily project, I will compare three groups20 from translation task to elicit the most self- speech levels). two different generations: the two ‘extreme conscious performances of the traditional groups’ and additionally a group of young local dialect, which will reveal how 4.2 Choice of Informants speakers who are relatively non-mobile and informants think the dialect should ideally be work in professions that are not commu- spoken, and a translation task to elicit the I will make audio recordings of language nication-oriented. I hypothesise that the most self-conscious performances of the production data by autochthonous speakers local dialect of young speakers in standard variety, which will reveal the from Samnaun. As is usual in variationist communication-oriented professions will informants’ sense of how the standard linguistics, I will investigate change in have more Alemannic features than the should ideally be spoken, a conversation apparent time by comparing an older and a dialect of the younger generation in manual among friends to determine the variety or younger speaker group. For this purpose, professions, because the former group has varieties used in informal situations, and an some researchers compare two ‘extreme more contact with tourists. interview with a researcher to determine the groups’ of dialect speakers (cf., e.g., the pilot To summarise, I will survey the following variety or varieties used in formal situations. study for the project SynBai, Lenz et al. three speaker groups: I will also collect demographic data about 2014), namely the “potentiell ‘konser- vativste’ Typ eines älteren, nur wenig mobilen Dialektsprechers” (“the potentially ‘most conservative’ type, an elderly, relatively non-mobile dialect speaker”; my translation) on the one hand, and the Table 1 Choice of Informants for the Planned “potentiell ‘progressivste’ Typ eines jungen, Study the participants. Additionally, I will do a hoch mobilen Dialektsprechers” (”the variety of field experiments involving potentially ‘most progressive’ type, a young, 4.3 Data Collection pictures and/or video sequences meant to highly mobile dialect speaker”; my elicit certain kinds of language production. translation) on the other (Lenz et al. 2014: 5). I will collect data in the following ways, with During the translation tasks and the Others compare three generations (e.g., in the aim of eliciting different varieties: a interview, the researcher will be present; the above mentioned REDE-project, cf. during the conversations among friends the Ganswindt et al. 2015: 430f.). In the present informants are by themselves (cf. Lenz 2003: 20 Lenz (2003: 51) distinguishes three different subgroups within the young generation according to the different profession types.

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62 for the necessity of the researcher’s ding on the interlocutor’s21 variety on the differences on linguistic production and to absence in this setting). telephone.22 find out whether there is an intermediate As described in section 2, Samnaun’s The main hypothesis is that speakers variety (or even several) on the dialect- people claim not to use their Bavarian local will use an Alemannic variety when speaking standard-axis, the second researcher should dialect when talking to non-locals, especially to me, the Bavarian local dialect when speak a clearly different Southern Bavarian not to Alemannic-speaking persons; they speaking among themselves and an dialect (e.g., from the area). In this claim to use their dialect only when they are intermediate variety on the dialect- way, it becomes possible to observe the by themselves. When analysing the varietal standard-axis with the Bavarian-speaking linguistic reaction of informants to Bavarian- spectrum of Samnaun’s population, it, researcher. This second researcher should, speaking people with a plainly distinct therefore, makes sense to use two however, not come from the Tyrolean area dialect. researchers with different dialect bordering directly on Samnaun: With This will allow me to elicit the entire backgrounds to collect data: one with an persons coming from elsewhere in the Upper range of variation that the informants have Alemannic (Swiss German) dialect and Inn valley, where the dialect differences are at their disposal. I will do the first part of another with a Southern Bavarian dialect. I quite small (cf. Gröger 1924, but also the each translation task and the sociolinguistic hypothesise that informants will use one local Wenker questionnaires), Samnaun’s interview with each participant, and the variety with me, an Alemannic speaker people might still speak their local dialect.23 second researcher will do the second parts. (dialect of the Canton of Thurgau, north- In order to detect the effects of dialectal Only one researcher and one informant will eastern Switzerland), and another variety be in the same room at the same time. with a researcher from the Bavarian area. Finally, there will be an interview with the 21 In this study, the interlocutors on the telephone 24 The results of Ender & Kaiser (2014) for were a learner of German as a second language, a informant and both researchers. Vorarlberg and Salzburg suggest this: The speaker from Germany, a speaker from Austria from the Bavarian-speaking dialect region and an informants used different varieties depen- Austrian speaker from the Alemannic-speaking dialect region who spoke to the person on the telephone (cf. Ender & Kaiser 2014: 138f.). 22 Jennifer Smith (University of Glasgow, p.c.) interprets the first analyses of her project “One 24 When dealing with different varieties, code- Speaker Two Dialects”, carried out currently in switching and/or code-shifting phenomena (cf., e.g., north-eastern Scotland with two researchers – a Auer 1999, 2011; Gumperz 1982) can occur. Data Scottish “insider” and a south-English “outsider” – , from the study, especially from the setting with in much the same way (thevariationist.com, both researchers and the informant in the same 29.04.2016). room, will show at least partly to what extent these 23 This kind of setting is already covered by the play a role in the speakers’ language use in conversation among friends. Samnaun.

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Swiss Standard German and Austrian Standard German. Unlike other Southern Bavarian varieties, the dialects in the Tyrolean area bordering on Samnaun – Oberes Gericht, Paznaun Valley – show some common features with Alemannic varieties (as, e.g., loss of final -n, cf. Schatz 1928: 22; dimi- nutive suffix -le/-ele, cf. Schatz 1928: 54; maintenance of diphthong /ou/ or rather simplification to /o:/, cf. Schatz 1928: 41). Therefore, only variables that are clearly (Southern) Bavarian in Samnaun as well as in bordering Northern Tyrol can be used for this study. The exclusion of unsuitable variables will take place by comparing the existing linguistic data from Samnaun and the bordering Tyrolean municipalities (data from Gröger 1924, Jenal-Ruffner 2009 and from Table 2 Planned Data Collection Units for and lexical variables which differ between the linguistic atlases VALTS, TSA as well as Gathering the Data, Adapted for this Swiss German (Alemannic) and Tyrolean from the regional Wenker questionnaires for Project According to Lenz (2003: 65) (Southern Bavarian). In order to get insights Samnaun, , , , Galtür and 4.2 Choice of Linguistic Variables into Samanun’s standard variety, I will work , cf. footnote 10). with phonetic,25 morphological, syntactical

and lexical variables which differ between 5. Summary As described above, I will focus not only on phonetic-phonological variables, but rather The present paper has outlined a recently test different linguistic levels. The focus will 25 Mainly the stress of foreign words as, e.g., in: be on phonological, morphological, syntactic ‘Detail (CH) vs. De’tail (A) ‘detail’, ‘Programm (CH) started research project which is dedicated vs. Pro’gramm (A) ‘programme’.

10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics Susanne Oberholzer | A Bavarian-speaking Exception in Alemannic-speaking Switzerland: The Case of Samnaun 58 to the municipality of Samnaun, situated in speakers with manual professions. Different the discussion about the effects of (changed) eastern Switzerland on the border to data collection units in combination with mobility on recent linguistic conditions as Austria. In the past, researchers have language production experiments will enable well as on the language use of numerous described Samnaun’s dialect as a Southern me to elicit different varieties (or possibly language communities which are strongly Bavarian one. Hints about other varieties (an speech levels). The choice of variables will characterised by this kind of mobility. intermediate variety on the dialect- focus on the different linguistic levels and is standard-axis and an Alemannic variety) not limited to phonetic-phonological vari- References have not resulted in research. This project ables. fills that gap by describing recent linguistic The results promise an insight into the Ammon, U. (2004). Standard Variety. In U. Ammon et al. (Eds.), : An conditions in this Alpine municipality and the outcome of language contact between two International Handbook of the Science of result of variety contact between a Southern German dialects with a different variety Language and Society (2nd edition, pp. 273- Bavarian dialect and Alemannic dialects. This structure and the consequences of the 283). Berlin, New York: de Gruyter. paper has discussed the historical linguistic resulting variety structure: Southern Ammon, U. et al. (2004). Variantenwörterbuch des Deutschen. Die Standardsprache in Österreich, development of Samnaun as well as its Bavarian with a dialect-standard-continuum der Schweiz und Deutschland sowie in geographical and economic context. I have on the one hand and Alemannic with , Luxemburg, Ostbelgien und demonstrated the importance of a new diglossia on the other. Südtirol. Berlin/New York: de Gruyter. empirical study using modern variationist These results are relevant also from a Auer, P. (1999). From Codeswitching via Language Mixing to Fused Lects: Toward a linguistic methods in order to gather data broader perspective: The project deals with Dynamic Typology of Bilingual Speech. about the whole range of linguistic variation language contact phenomena, phenomena of International Journal of Bilingualism, 3.4, pp. of Samnaun’s inhabitants. I have outlined the change in language (in the case of transition 309-332. Auer, P. (2011). Code-switching/mixing. In R. most important research questions and the to an Alemannic variety by the younger Wodak et al. (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of project’s aims, and I have described the generation) as well as language shift Sociolinguistics (pp. 460-478). London et al.: three groups of informants which will allow phenomena. The project explores the SAGE. me to conduct both an apparent-time study, influence of national borders on linguistic Bundesamt für Statistik. (2015). Regionalporträts 2015: Gemeinden. Neuchâtel: BFS, by comparing speakers of the older developments, the effects of language ThemaKart. generation to speakers of a younger contact with the linguistic majority on the Carnot, G. (1984). IV. Vielfalt Deutschbündens. generation, and to explore the impact of linguistic minority, as well as the Die Samnauner. Jahresbericht der language contact with non-locals by means standardising influence of contact with other Walservereinigung Graubünden, 1984, pp. 45- 59. of the comparison of a communication- dialectal varieties induced by the (national) oriented speakers’ group and a group of media. Finally, the results will be central to

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10plus1: Living Linguistics | Issue 2 | 2016 | Contact Linguistics