This lecture blends sociolinguistic theory with corpus methods to study the Spisz dialect through a quantitative lens. Grounded in variationist aims, it shows how a corpus of the speech of a community where a dialect is still widely used can test how social factors shape dialect–standard contrasts across contexts, speakers, and times.

The abstract outlines a streamlined research pipeline. Key elements include: (i) constructing a representative Spisz corpus that covers regional coverage, social strata (age, sex, education), and situational variation (formal vs. informal speech); (ii) creating a transparent annotation scheme for dialectal vs. standard forms across lexical and (even more) morphosyntactic  features; and (iii) applying robust quantitative tools to estimate effect sizes and interactions while controlling for sampling bias and annotation reliability. The focus is on proportions between dialectal and standard forms in the spoken output of a speaker as a primary dependent variable shaped by social parameters.

The introductory lecture will be followed by a hands-on presetatnion of data retrieval and analysis with a dedicated and off-shelf software, offering participants practical insight into the workflow.

Sociolinguistics meets corpus linguistics. On the quantitative analysis of a dialectal corpus
Prof. Dr. Rafał Górski (Jagiellonian University, Kraków)

November 27, 2025, 12:15 pm
SR 220, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 8, 07743 Jena

Moderation: Prof. Dr. Ruprecht von Waldenfels

This guest lecture is part of a seminar about Corpus Based Dialectology

Online participation via Zoom:
Topic: ABZ Talk
Time: Nov 27, 2025 12:15 PM (Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna)
https://uni-jena-de.zoom-x.de/j/63927233524
Meeting ID: 639 2723 3524
Passcode: Aleksander