Estudi dialectal del lèxic menorquí Anàlisi experimental de Maó

Abstract

One of the problems of Catalan language is the diversity of its dialects. Despite the/nexistence and usage of the standard variety, each dialect has its own features. Among them,/nthere is an issue related to the vocabulary because some words are unique and unintelligible/nbetween the varieties of Catalan. Therefore, we have to focus on the usage of the typical/nvocabulary and which other words can be used instead. It can be a difficult and complex/ntask to preserve it because the population is in contact with the standard Catalan./nSpecifically, the aim of this paper is to document the usage of this kind of words in Maó —/nMenorca— because we want an experimental study. In this paper we present quantitative/nand qualitative data collected by a questionnaire about Minorcan vocabulary completed by/na group of young, adult and elder people. The age is a dependent variable because it/ndetermines the evolution of the typical vocabulary, while the occupation and context are/nindependent variables. The results show a decrease both in usage and knowledge of the/nMinorcan vocabulary among the adulthood and youth. They usually standardize and/nreplace the terms; thus, there is an augmentative loss. Our results motivate an argument/nabout the dialects’ future and we also suggest a solution carried out by the education and/nthe media in order to spread the vocabulary in danger. The Institut d’Estudis Catalans/ncould also collaborate by accepting different terminology.