The DiCaDLanD historical dictionary of the Cappadocian dialects
as a contribution to the study of variation and change
Symeon Tsolakidis1, Dimitra Melissaropoulou2 & Christos Papanagiotou3
University of Patras1, 3 & Aristotle University of Thessaloniki2
The present paper aims to offer insights on the ways modern dialectal (e-)lexicography can interact and contribute to the study of Greek language variation and change reporting on a large-scale lexicographical project, “DicaDLand”, which aims to produce a historical dictionary of Cappadocian Greek. The Dictionary is being built using the professional dictionary editing software TLex Suite, a powerful and user-friendly tool which has been subject to parametrization and adaption for the purposes of the project.
To this end, some representative entries will be put under scrutiny as a way of illustrating their contribution to modern linguistic research. First, in the case of the lemma άγω [ˈaɣo] “to go, carry, take, transport”, data systematization for the compilation of this entry, prove particularly revealing of the variation and change exhortative forms were subject to (either as imperative or subjunctive forms, for example άμε [ˈame] “Go!, Take!”, ας άμεν “Let’s go!”) in the dialects of Cappadocia, taking into account recent theoretical approaches on grammaticalization processes (cf. Lehmann 2015) and dialect contact (Britain 2018).
Another interesting lemma is αυτός [aˈftos] “this”, displaying multiple variants which are used either as a personal or a demonstrative pronoun. For example, Ατός τιζ ένι; “Who is he?”, Ατό ο νομάτ' τιζ ένι; “Who is this person?”, Ατό τα δεκαπένdε έζησεν τα ανdί γαϊρίδι “He lived all these 15 years like an ass”, Ίτο do ναίκα (dο) άνdρα τ’ πάασεν dο do χωριό meaning both “This woman led her husband to the village” and “This woman was taken (led) by her husband to the village”. In this case, data prove particularly revealing of the occurring variation highlighting more clearly and systematically their morphosyntactic properties and the on-going variation and change in the light of other co-occurring developments (such as the loss of grammatical gender distinctions and the neuterization of nominal (and pronominal) inflection (cf. Karatsareas 2011).
Lastly, cross-examination of several lemmata, such as (1) αγικντώ ‘to come to one’s senses’ (V.) αγικτού. Ulagatsh [aʝiˈktu], αγιχτίζω. Malakopi [aʝiˈxtizo], (2) ανλαντω ‘to understand’ (V.) αγναντού. Ulagatsh [aɣnaˈdu], αγνατώ. Pharasa [aɣnaˈto], ανγκλαντίζου. Malakopi [aŋglaˈdizu], αγνατίζω. Malakopi, Potamia, Pharasa [aɣnaˈtizo], (3) βόσκω‘graze’ (V.) βόσκω.Aravan [ˈvosko], βοσκού. Ulagatsh [voˈsku], βοσκίζω. Sinasos [voˈscizo] βοσ̑κίζω. Anaku, Axos, Aravan [voˈʃcizo], reveals variation and rivalry in terms of productivity among different verb formation processes, in the micro-dialectal level, as for instance the fact that in Ulagatsh, contrary to other villages, there is a strong tendency for the formation of verbs with no derivational verbalizer (cf. [aʝiˈktu] in Ulagatsh vs. [aʝiˈxtizo] in Malakopi).
Generalizing, this presentation is meant to shed light on the contribution the potential modern digital lexicographic tools can offer in modern dialectological research, beyond the simple digitalization of electronic reproduction of hard copy data, for systematizing internal variation. In this perspective, they have an important contribution in depicting different developmental stages of a linguistic change — depending on the more or less conservative character of each different dialectal system — assisting thus in the reconstruction of the developmental paths that were followed and in tracing the mechanisms of change (Narrog & Heine 2011; Giacalone Ramat et al. 2013; Melissaropoulou 2016).
References
Britain, D. 2018. Dialect contact and new dialect formation (Ch. 8). In C. Boberg, J. Nerbonne & D. Watt (eds.), The handbook of dialectology, 143–158. Hoboken: Wiley.
Giacalone Ramat, A., Mauri, C. & P. Molinelli (eds.) 2013. Synchrony and diachrony: A dynamic interface. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Karatsareas, P. 2011. A study of Cappadocian Greek nominal morphology from a diachronic and typological perspective. PhD Diss. in the University of Cambridge (https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/240609).
Lehmann C. 2015. Thoughts on grammaticalization. 3rd ed. Berlin: Language Science Press (https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/88).
Melissaropoulou, D. 2016. Variation in word formation in situations of language contact: the case of Cappadocian Greek. Language Sciences 55: 55–67.
Narrog, H. & B. Heine (eds.). 2011. The Oxford handbook of grammaticalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press.