Le changement linguistique en ville: l’exemple de Bâle

Abstract

Dialect levelling in German speaking Switzerland is different from Dialect levelling in Germany: in contrast to lexical changes, phonological and morphological changes do not follow an evolutionary direction. Our research in Basel shows different varieties of the urban repertoire, which are all considered as Baseldeutsch by their speakers. Recent language changes are induced by contact with other Swiss German varieties. However, these changes show considerable individual differences. There is no unity in development. This leads to local dialects with more variation than can be observed in traditional varieties.