Mestská reč vo Zvolene

Mgr. Lujza Urbancová, Ph.D.

Doctoral thesis

Urban Speech in Zvolen

Abstract:

This dissertation is aimed at urban speech in Zvolen, recording the state in which it finds itself and depicting typical features at the beginning of the 21st century. The author was solving theoretical and methodological tasks, and she applied the result of this work to data collection and its analysis. Theoretical and methodological parts solve an issue of urban speech in a broader context with main attention to works by Slovak and Czech linguists. Understanding the importance of a tradition involves taking into account important linguistic works which have influenced a method of research into the current state of language. The basis of work was research in the town of Zvolen. It was carried out in Zvolen in the period 2000 – 2005, specifically with a direct method of data collecting including interviews, observation and written questionnaires. Selecting speakers was a very important task, because this can easily become a source of bias. The author used random sampling, a representative sample consisting of people living in Zvolen, and she included persons of different ages, social statuses and both sexes. The author analysed data at phonological and morphological levels. She especially considered phenomena at odds with the codified language and she followed dialect evidence in urban speech or ways of substituting dialect signs. An analysis has proved the heterogeneous character of urban speech in Zvolen, consisting of elements from all forms of the Slovak language – from dialect to codified language. Each generation has, apart from common speech features, its own speech characteristics. Most variables from morphology different from the codified language are by speakers considered as dialect elements and are usually substituted, especially by younger speakers. Urban speech maintains connection with a dialect while at the same time approaching standard Slovak. This apparent contradiction follows from the close connection of dialects and standard elements which are typical of a whole-nation form of language, especially in pronunciation. Language urbanization results in dialect levelling – being in progress now – and later on in “de-dialectalization”.

Abstract:

Autorka sa zaoberá jazykovou situáciou v malom stredoslovenskom meste. Výskum mestskej reči dáva v teoretickej časti práce do kontextu podobne zameraných výskumov doma aj v zahraničí, hľadá prieniky, ale aj oblasti, v ktorých výskumy v rôznych krajinách dosahujú značné diferencie. Cez interdisciplinárne poňatý prístup si ďalej všíma charakteristiky mesta Zvolen, ktoré majú vplyv na jeho jazykovú situáciu, a zhŕňa predchádzajúce výskumy jazyka v oblasti. Na materiálovom korpuse získanom priamou metódou rozhovoru, pozorovaním a dotazníkom analyzuje základné črty mestskej reči vo fónickej a morfologickej rovine. Práca podáva dôkaz o nehomogénnom a konglomerátnom charaktere mestskej reči, obsahujúcej prvky národného jazyka – od tradičného nárečia až po spisovný jazyk. Na základe porovnania so starším stavom aj s vývinovými tendenciami súčasnej slovenčiny prichádza autorka k záveru, že regionálne príznakové prvky sa v mestskej reči postupne nivelizujú a mestská reč sa približuje k štandardnej variete národného jazyka.

Keywords

Mestská reč, Zvolen, sociolingvistika, stratifikácia národného jazyka, fónická rovina mestskej reči, morfologická rovina mestskej reči. Urban speech, sociolinguistics, stratification of national language, phonological level of urban speech, morphological level of urban speech.

Language used: Slovak

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 5. 1. 2007

Thesis defence

• Date of defence: 16. 1. 2007
• Supervisor: prof. PhDr. Marie Krčmová, CSc.

Masaryk University

Faculty of Arts

Doctoral programme / field:
Philology / Paleoslavic and Slavic Languages