and, although slightly different from one another, as one crosses them all, from the westernmost to the easternmost of them (or vice-versa) , one will observe that they differ from one region to the next in such a way that neighboring dialects are mutually intelligible, but the farther apart the two regions, the more difficult the communication, to the point where speakers from opposite ends of the spectrum may no longer understand one another. Is there a word or phrase for this linguistic phenomenon?
Answer
DIALECT CONTINUUM
- Within a language, there is usually a dialect continuum: speakers of Dialect A can understand and be understood by speakers of Dialect B, and C by B, and so on, but at the extremes of the continuum speakers of A and Z may be mutually unintelligible The A and Z communities may therefore feel justified in supposing or arguing that A and Z are different languages. If politics intervenes and the speakers of A and Z come to be citizens of different countries, the dialects may well be socially revalued as languages. The Oxford Companion to the English Language
A good example, covering an extensive area and ignoring political boundaries, would be:
- A – Portuguese
- B – Galego
- C – Asturian
- D – Castilian Spanish
- E – Catalan
- F – Provençal
- G – Piedmontese
- H – Italian
In a smaller area comprising Sweden and Denmark, which in their standard form are mutually intelligible, there are several dialects:
- A – Norrland
- B – Finland Swedish
- C – Svealand dialects
- D – Gotland dialects
- E – South Swedish dialects
- F – Insular Danish
- G – Jutlandic
A to E in Sweden and F/G in Denmark.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Centaurus , Answer Author : Centaurus
