About the group
The research group The structural development of Scandinavian dialects investigates variation, change, and development in Nordic dialects over time, across all linguistic levels and using a range of methods.
The group emphasizes integrating students into research and both applying and advancing digital methods. This includes developing a pilot version of a tagged corpus of the Swedish Ovansiljan dialects. In addition, the group incorporates phonetic annotation of the corpus in order to examine the interaction between syntax and phonology.
The group’s combined expertise covers Nordic dialectology, sociolinguistics, phonetics and phonology, computational linguistics, historical linguistics, and syntax. The group includes both permanent and temporary academic staff as well as students.
If you would like to become a member of the group, please contact Piotr Garbacz.
News
April 2026: In collaboration with HUMIT, we have launched a website featuring the Övdalian dictionary slips collected by Gunnar Nyström (1939–2021) and prepared for publication by our member Barbara Hoff. The website is called Nyströmsregistret (The Nyström Register) and is accessible to everyone. It is continuously being expanded.
March 2026: Our paper on the syntax and morphology of the Ovansiljan vernaculars has been published in Svenska landsmål och svenskt folkliv 147-148.
February 2026: Our workshop proposal The vernaculars of Ovansiljan and other understudied language varieties of Scandinavia for the 13th International Conference on Nordic and General Linguistics in Uppsala, 20–22 May 2026, has been accepted.
September 2025: We have received approval and resources from Institutt for lingvistiske og nordiske studier (ILN) to create a website featuring the Övdalian dictionary slips collected by Gunnar Nyström (1939–2021). The slips are being processed and prepared for publication by our member Barbara Hoff. HUMIT is providing the web solution.
May 2025: We have received approval and resources from Institutt for lingvistiske og nordiske studier (ILN) to create an Ovansiljan corpus based on the Övdalian part of the Nordic Dialect Corpus and new transcriptions of other Ovansiljan dialects transcribed by Stefan Jacobsson — thank you! The technical work is carried out by HUMIT, and the alignment of transcription and recording is handled by our member Alessia Nencioni.
April 2025: Our informants in Våmhus have now started a podcast published on YouTube (thanks to our member Jan Einar Slethei, University of Oslo).
Meetings in the Spring Semester 2026
In the spring of 2025, the group will meet twice a month (every other Wednesday) at 10:15am-11:45am, exept of the 19th May, Tuesday at 10:15am-11:45am):
14. januar:
28. januar
11. februar
25. februar
11. mars
25. mars
8. april
22. april
6. mai
19. mai (Tuesday)
3. juni
17. juni - followed up by a dinner meeting
Meetings in the Spring Semester 2025
In the spring of 2025, the group will meet twice a month (every other Thursday):
- 6. februar: Plans for the semester (Piotr Garbacz, Stefan Jacobsson)
- 20. februar, 10:15-12:00, Harriet Holters hus 038: phonology of the Ovansiljan vernaculars (Stefan Jacobsson)
- 5. mars, 10:15-12:00, Harriet Holters hus 041: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Preface" og "Introduction" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 20. mars, 10:15-12:00, Harriet Holters hus 138: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Phonology and orthography" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 3. april, 10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Articles and nouns", "Adjectives and participles", and "Pronouns" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 10. april,10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Numerals", "Verbs", and "Adverbs and adverbials" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 24. april, 10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Verbs", "Adverbs and adverbials", "Prepositions" and "Conjunctions" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 15. mai, 10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: Sapir & Lundgren (2024), "Interjections and common phrases", "Clause structure and word order", and "Lexicon, word formation, and names" (Piotr Garbacz)
- 28. mai, 10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: morphology of the Ovansiljan vernaculars (Stefan Jacobsson)
- 12. juni, 10:15-12:00, MultiLing HW421: morphology of the Ovansiljan vernaculars (Stefan Jacobsson) + informal gathering
Meetings in the Fall Semester 2024
In the fall of 2024, the group will meet twice a month (every other Thursday):
- August 22: Introduction meeting, plans for the semester (Piotr Garbacz)
- September 5: Ovansiljan dialects: introduction and characteristic features (Stefan Jacobsson)
- September 19: Accent and quantity in the Ovansiljan dialects (part 1) (Stefan Jacobsson)
- October 7, 14:00-16:00: Ovansiljan dialects in language history - lecture and seminar with Stefan Jacobsson (UU)
- October 17: CANCELED October 30, 10:00-12:00: Accent and quantity in the Ovansiljan dialects (part 2) (Stefan Jacobsson)
- November 14: Accent and quantity in the Ovansiljan dialects (part 3) (Stefan Jacobsson)
- November 28: Accent and quantity in the Ovansiljan dialects (part 4) (Stefan Jacobsson)
- December 12: Accent and quantity in the Ovansiljan dialects (part 5) (Stefan Jacobsson)
