Brief Description

The project "Syntax of Hessian Dialects (SyHD)", sponsored by DFG, aims at collecting, evaluating and analyzing geographically comprehensive data about the main features of the dialect syntax of German as exemplified within an entire German state (Hesse). In addition to the assessment being carried out within Hesse, data is also being collected in twelve neighboring locations outside of the state.
These locations, placed elliptically around Hesse, serve as points of comparison. The project forsees two "final products", which will be accessible online:

• In-depth analyses of Hessian dialect syntax, carried out in a systematic synopsis of distinct linguistic subdisciplines. Data will be examined according to etymology, variation linguistics and syntax theory. The findings will be included in scientific publications. (view publications)
• An "expert system for Hessian dialect syntax" with two major components: Data gathered within the framework of the project and edited for further syntactic analyses (SyHD-stats, SyHD-maps) and georeferenced linguistic maps of selected phenomena (SyHD-atlas).

Methodologically, SyHD is based on a combination of indirect and direct surveys to be carried out at ca. 160 locations within and 12 locations outside of Hesse. In a first step, between four and eight informants will be indirectly surveyed at each location with the help of questionnaires pertaining to syntactic phenonmena. These have been modelled on the already sucessfully tested examples of the Syntaktischen Atlas der Deutschen Schweiz (SADS) and of the Syntactische Atlas van de Nederlandse Dialecten (SAND). In a second step, direct surveys will be carried out at all of the survey locations in Hesse.