Mankov Alexander

The dialect of Gammalsvenskby: compiling a dictionary of an unexplored language (kimmar — kodest)

Abstract

This paper presents new material for the dictionary of the present-day dialect of Staroshvedkoye (Gammalsvenskby), the only Scandinavian dialect on the territory of the former Soviet Union. The present-day state of this dialect has not been described in linguistic literature. The only source of data on Gammalsvenskby is fi eldwork with speakers of the dialect. The main objective of this work is to present material recorded in the interviews in the most complete way possible and to describe the state of the vocabulary and infl ection in the dialect. The entries include the following information: type of infl ection; translation; phrases, sentences and short texts illustrating the usage (with initials of the informants). In many cases full paradigms are given as well. They include all phonetic and morphological forms that have occurred in the interviews.

Keywords

language documentation, documentary linguistics, fi eld linguistics, endangered language, Swedish dialects, Swedish dialects of Estonia, Gammalsvenskby, dialect dictionary

References

1. Lagman H., Svensk-estnisk språkkontakt. Studier över estniskans infl ytande på de estlandssvenska dialekterna, Stockholm, 1971.
2. Mankov A., “Dialekt sela Staroshvedskoe”, in: Vestnik PSTGU. Ser. III: Filologiia, 19, 2010, 7‒26.
3. Mankov А., “Dialekt sela Staroshvedskoe: opyt sostavleniia slovaria ischezaiushchego iazyka (a — brist-bäin)”, in: Vestnik PSTGU. Ser. III: Filologiia, 38, 2014, 91−130.
4. SAOB — Ordbok över svenska språket utgiven av Svenska akademien, I. Lund, 1893.
5. Wessén E., Svensk språkhistoria, II. Ordbildningslära, Stockholm, 1992.

Information about the author

Mankov Alexander

Academic Degree: Candidate of Sciences* in Philology;
Place of work: St. Tikhon’s University for the Humanities; 6 Likhov Pereulok, Moscow 127051, Russian Federation;
Post: Senior Research Fellow;
ORCID: 0000-0002-5735-0955;
Email: mankov2017@gmail.com.

*According to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) 2011, the degree of Candidate of Sciences (Cand.Sc.) belongs to ISCED level 8 — "doctoral or equivalent", together with PhD, DPhil, D.Lit, D.Sc, LL.D, Doctorate or similar.

Acknowledgments

This study was carried out in 2017 as part of the project "The Dialect of Gammalsvenskby" funded by the Foundation for the Development of PSTGU. I am very grateful to T.A. Torstendahl-Salytjeva and the Swedish Institute (Stockholm) without whose help this study would have been impossible.