The Dictionary of Historical Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol (WBÖ) - Why are there actually Bavarian dialects in Austria?
The Dictionary of Historical Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol (WBÖ) - Why are there actually Bavarian dialects in Austria?
In linguistics, the term bairisch 'Bavarian' refers to a group of dialects (North, Middle and South Bavarian) that differs from other large linguistic regions such as Alemannic or East Franconian due to certain large regional similarities on a phonetic, lexical and grammatical level. The dialects spoken in Austria can be classified as Bavarian and Alemannic (e. g., in Vorarlberg), with a Bavarian-Alemannic transitional area in North Tyrol.
The spelling bayrisch 'Bavarian', introduced by King Ludwig I of Bavaria in 1825, only refers to the political territory of the Free State of Bavaria. The dialects spoken in the Free State of Bavaria belong to the Bavarian, Alemannic and Franconian language areas.
How long has the WBÖ been around?
How long has the WBÖ been around?
The WBÖ is a long-term project in two respects: the dictionary offices in Vienna and Munich were founded in 1912/1913. Language data for the WBÖ was collected from 1913 onwards. The first five volumes of the WBÖ were published from 1965-2015. Since late 2016/early 2017, the WBÖ has been compiled in the Research Unit Linguistics (formerly VaWaDiÖ) as part of the ÖAW's long-term research program.
How are the WBÖ and the Bavarian Dictionary (BWB) connected?
How are the WBÖ and the Bavarian Dictionary (BWB) connected?
In 1912/13, the dictionary offices in Vienna and Munich were founded in order to write a joint Bavarian-Austrian dialect dictionary. From 1913, the two offices collected the material for the “Bavarian-Austrian Dictionary” using the same questionnaires. For various reasons, the two offices were separated in 1954.
In contrast to the WBÖ, the BWB still collects material via word lists. Dictionary articles up to issue 31 (Trog - Tuch) are currently available in print, and a large proportion of the articles published to date can already be accessed open access. The database can be accessed digitally.
Link to the project history
What is the data basis for the WBÖ?
What is the data basis for the WBÖ?
A separate material collection (the so-called “paper slip catalog”, formerly "main catalog") was compiled for the WBÖ, especially in the period from 1913-1965, which still serves as the basis for the dictionary articles today. The language data for the paper slip catalog was collected by experts and dialect-competent volunteers. In this collection, also data from other sources, in particular data from other dialect dictionaries and dissertations on individual places / dialect areas, was included (see material collection and digitization of the paper slips).
Why is there no data from Vorarlberg in the WBÖ?
Why is there no data from Vorarlberg in the WBÖ?
The WBÖ is the Dictionary of Historical Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol. Vorarlberg is part of Austria, but linguistically it belongs to the Alemannic language area. You can find more details on the area covered by the WBÖ here.
Why is South Tyrol included in the Dictionary of Historical Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol (WBÖ)?
Why is South Tyrol included in the Dictionary of Historical Bavarian Dialects in Austria and South Tyrol (WBÖ)?
The WBÖ was initiated in 1910, and the Vienna dictionary office at the ÖAW was founded on February 12, 1913. Data collection for the WBÖ also began in 1913. At this time, South Tyrol was still part of the multi-ethnic state of Austria-Hungary; it was only after the First World War in 1919 that South Tyrol was assigned to Italy. As the German spoken in South Tyrol belongs to the Bavarian language area and South Tyrol is not adequately covered by any other dialect dictionary for large regions, the data from South Tyrol will continue to be processed in the WBÖ. However, South Tyrol in the WBÖ is not quite the same as today's autonomous province of Bolzano-South Tyrol, because the data for the WBÖ comes from the former German-speaking areas and the Ladin-speaking areas of South Tyrol are not included in the WBÖ.
Another region, South Bohemia, was also part of the multi-ethnic state of Austria-Hungary at that time. However, this region is covered by the partner project Sudeten German Dictionary in Giessen.
Why are South Tyrol (STir.), East Tyrol (OTir.) and North Tyrol (NTir.) regarded as individual (federal) provinces in the regional classification, but still have a place code in the WBÖ database (on LIÖ) that begins with 1 in each case?
Why are South Tyrol (STir.), East Tyrol (OTir.) and North Tyrol (NTir.) regarded as individual (federal) provinces in the regional classification, but still have a place code in the WBÖ database (on LIÖ) that begins with 1 in each case?
The regional information on the documents in the WBÖ is structured hierarchically: from the municipality to the small region, the large region up to the highest level of the Austrian provinces or comparable (former) administrative units outside Austria. For the WBÖ, it was therefore decided to place South Tyrol at the level of the (federal) provinces. Today's Austrian federal state of Tyrol consists of the non-contiguous parts of North Tyrol and East Tyrol. In the WBÖ, North Tyrol is considered a (federal) province with three large regions, while East Tyrol is considered a large region and at the same time a (federal) province. Normally, each (federal) province in the WBÖ has a place code beginning with its own Arabic numeral; in the case of South Tyrol (1A), East Tyrol (1B) and North Tyrol (1C), the place code begins with the number 1, but there are specifying capital letters (cf. area covered by the WBÖ and list of place codes). This reflects the eventful history of these Bavarian language regions.
Why does the place code for Vienna begin with the same number as that of Lower Austria?
Why does the place code for Vienna begin with the same number as that of Lower Austria?
Like East Tyrol, Vienna is also listed in the WBÖ as a large region and (federal) province. Vienna became an independent federal state in 1920, but remained the capital of Lower Austria until 1986. For this reason, it was decided to express the close connection between Lower Austria and Vienna via the place code with the common first digit 6. The place code of the major regions of Lower Austria are 6.1 to 6.4, Vienna follows with 6.5 (cf. area covered by the WBÖ and list of place codes).
How are the WBÖ and LIÖ connected?
How are the WBÖ and LIÖ connected?
The Lexical Information System Austria (LIÖ) serves as a publication platform for the dictionary articles of the WBÖ. In addition, the data basis of the WBÖ, the digitized paper slip catalog, can also be accessed via LIÖ and used for further research. This database also provides access to language data that is no longer included in the WBÖ articles due to streamlining concepts (e. g., historical records and records from the language islands).
LIÖ makes it possible to search the WBÖ not only via the words/lemmas, but also via the geographical location (place/region), the senses, phonetic variants, contexts and the questionnaire numbers.
LIÖ can also be used to visualize information from the dictionary articles and the database on maps.
What can I search for in the WBÖ database (on LIÖ)?
What can I search for in the WBÖ database (on LIÖ)?
On the one hand, LIÖ offers classic access to the WBÖ via the word (lemma). In addition, you can also search for phonetic variants, the geographical location (place/region), meanings, contexts and the questionnaire numbers (of the original data collection) (see instructions for use and sample searches with videos, notes on using LIÖ and the WBÖ document database).
Why are only some of the WBÖ dictionary articles available on LIÖ?
Why are only some of the WBÖ dictionary articles available on LIÖ?
Dictionary articles from the WBÖ have been published since 1963. The articles of the letter sections A-E were published until 2015 in 41 printed issues (booklets as parts of a volume that is gradually being published), which were later combined into 5 volumes. These volumes are being retro-digitized in cooperation with the ÖAW publishing house. Volumes 1-3 are currently already integrated into LIÖ.
The letter section G/K/Q is currently being worked on. Why are there still articles for words that start with other letters?
The letter section G/K/Q is currently being worked on. Why are there still articles for words that start with other letters?
As explained in the introduction to the first WBÖ volume (see p. 13, §6d 2), the initial letter pairs B/P (b/p), F/V (f/v) and D/T (d/t) are treated together under B (b), F (f) and D (d). This means that words with P (volumes 2 and 3) and T (volumes 4 and 5) are described in the already published WBÖ volumes. For WBÖ-online, the words in the standard (including foreign words) are used according to the standard orthography. For example, the lemma Fakȧ́nz is spelled F in the WBÖ database, which also indicates that it belongs to the letter range F/V, but in the corresponding article the word is written as Vakanz in accordance with standard German orthography. For words that only exist in the dialect, a historical-etymological form is constructed that could also occur in the standard language (cf. article structure).
Where can I find the database entries for words beginning with the letters A-E?
Where can I find the database entries for words beginning with the letters A-E?
The creation of a digital document database began in 1993. Originally, the digitization of the paper slips was only intended for internal purposes as an aid to lexicographical work. As the articles on the letters A-C and partly on D/T had already been written at that time, the systematic transfer of the information on the paper slips into the database began with the letter section D/T, more precisely with the lemma Tin 'Abteilung im Stadel' ('section in a barn'). A few words that precede Tin in the alphabet were entered for testing purposes or for scientific work. This means that the data for the words from Tin onwards can already be searched for in the database on LIÖ. Subsequent digitization of the missing paper slips to complete the database has already begun. In the TOP Citizen Science project The ABC(s) of Dialects: Exploring Historical Notes Digitally (FWF TCS134), interested citizens are working together with scientists to transcribe the paper slips and make the information digitally accessible.
Why do I also find words like film or feiern in a dialect dictionary like the WBÖ, which also exist in the standard language?
Why do I also find words like film or feiern in a dialect dictionary like the WBÖ, which also exist in the standard language?
Many dialect dictionaries concentrate on word forms that are foreign to the standard language (e. g., Fakin 'vagabond', fantern 'to babble', Feifalter 'butterfly', (Ge-)Fieslert 'gnawing; plucking', flinserln 'flicker') or are only used in colloquial speech (e. g., fladern 'to fake the grain pattern of wood by painting' or sudern 'to twaddle'). The WBÖ includes all words collected for the WBÖ - including those that are supposedly standard language - as other meanings have often developed or older meanings have been preserved in the spoken language or dialect. Who would have thought, for example, that feiern ‘celebrate’ also means ‘to do not work’? The pronunciation of a word such as Film 'film' (fų̈lm, fǖm) can also differ from the standard in the individual dialect regions and can therefore be interesting (for research).
Why do you only find certain word formations in the WBÖ articles? In the article Fasching, for example, Fetzenfasching, Kinderfasching and Winterfasching are covered, but Faschingskrapfen and Faschingsnarr are not.
Why do you only find certain word formations in the WBÖ articles? In the article Fasching, for example, Fetzenfasching, Kinderfasching and Winterfasching are covered, but Faschingskrapfen and Faschingsnarr are not.
Contrary to the strict alphabetical order used in other dictionaries, the WBÖ applies the base word principle. This means that in the context of word formation, only those compounds in which the lemma is the base word are processed in an article. The compounds Faschingkrapfen 'carnival doughnut' and Faschingnarr 'carnival jester' are therefore only dealt with in the articles Krapfen 'Bavarian doughnut' and Narr 'fool' respectively. In addition, those derivatives for which the lemma is the base (e. g., faschen 'to wrap' in ausfaschen 'to unwrap' and einfaschen 'to wrap') also appear in an article.
Which phonetic transcription is used in the WBÖ articles as well as in the WBÖ database for the pronunciation examples?
Which phonetic transcription is used in the WBÖ articles as well as in the WBÖ database for the pronunciation examples?
The instruction for collectors of Bavarian-Austrian vocabulary from 1913 states:
Für die Schreibung der mundartlichen Wörter gelte als allgemeiner Gesichtspunkt, einerseits daß das Schriftbild ihrer mundartlichen Lautung möglichst nahe komme, anderseits daß die mundartlichen Laute mit den Buchstaben des gewöhnlichen schriftdeutschen Alphabets […] wiedergegeben und davon abweichende Buchstaben nur verwendet werden, soweit jenes zur Unterscheidung der Laute nicht ausreicht. Und die Hauptregel ist, sorgfältig darauf zu achten, daß ein und dasselbe Zeichen nicht für verschiedene Laute verwendet werde und daß Zweifel bezüglich der Auffassung des Lautwertes möglichst ausgeschlossen bleiben.
('For the spelling of dialectal words, the general point of view is, on the one hand, that the typeface should come as close as possible to their dialectal pronunciation, and on the other hand that the dialectal sounds should be reproduced with the letters of the usual written German alphabet [...] and letters deviating from this should only be used if this is not sufficient to distinguish the sounds. And the main rule is to take care that one and the same sign is not used for different sounds and that doubts concerning the understanding of the sound value are excluded as far as possible.')
Using so-called diacritical marks, collectors should note, for example, the length (ā) or shortness (ă) or the degree of openness of vowels (e. g., å, ą, ė). The nasalization of vowels (an) as well as the ending or falling of consonants (schraibm) should be marked with superscript or subscript letters. Even if the aim was to achieve a uniform transcription, the following restriction mentioned in the instructions must be observed:
Sammler, denen die folgerichtige Anwendung der vorstehenden Regeln im ganzen oder einzelnen dauernde Schwierigkeiten bereiten, Hemmnisse, Verzögerungen in Beobachtung und Mitteilung des Wortschatzes selbst verursachen würde, können einer einfacheren, ihnen bequemeren Schreibung sich bedienen, die ihnen ganz frei gestellt wird, soferne sie nur der an der Spitze der Anleitung stehenden Hauptregel eingedenk bleiben, die Schriftzeichen möglichst eindeutig zu gebrauchen.
('Collectors for whom the consistent application of the above rules in whole or in part would cause permanent difficulties, hindrances, delays in the observation and communication of the vocabulary itself, can use a simpler, more convenient spelling, which is left entirely up to them, as long as they remain mindful of the main rule at the top of the instructions, namely to use the characters as clearly as possible.')
In addition, experts used the so-called Wiener Teuthonista for transcription or adapted it (especially in dissertations).
An overview of the transcription characters used in WBÖ-online can be found here.
Why do you need your own font for the WBÖ, and where does the name Fiduz come from?
Why do you need your own font for the WBÖ, and where does the name Fiduz come from?
For the WBÖ, people familiar with the dialect not only collected words and their meanings, but as a rule also noted down the pronunciation of the words and example sentences. In addition, various written sources such as dictionaries, dialect literature and linguistic publications have been evaluated. There is no standardized transcription system in the WBÖ, but the basis is often the Teuthonista system. The Teuthonista system mainly uses Latin and Greek characters for the written reproduction of basic phonetic values as well as smaller diacritical marks for finer gradation of the different phonetic qualities and quantities. In the WBO, there are often several of these diacritical signs above and/or below the basic signs in order to reproduce the pronunciation as accurately as possible. However, many of these complex characters, most of which were even added by hand in typewritten sources, cannot be represented using the existing Unicode characters or their combinations.
In order to be able to display these very complex transcription characters correctly in the WBÖ, the new font Fiduz was developed in collaboration between the WBÖ and the Schriftlabor, which contains around 100 new characters. Further information on the font can be found here.
Fiduz is used in the WBÖ articles and the document database. However, you can also download Fiduz and install it on your devices in order to display the downloaded WBÖ data correctly in an Excel document and to write other texts with Fiduz.
For the name, the WBÖ team was looking for a relatively short dialect word with a positive meaning that was being worked on at the time the font was developed. The dialect word Fiduz (fįdū́ds) is common in eastern Austria and means both 'trust; confidence' and 'desire; wish; intention'.
There are many abbreviations and linguistic terms in the WBÖ. Are there any directories?
What is XML/TEI?
What is XML/TEI?
XML (Extensible Markup Language) is a device-, system- and program-independent coding meta-language for storing and processing texts (in the broadest sense) in electronic form. XML has now established itself as a communication standard and is also used, for example, by many web applications as an exchange and communication format.
The individual elements of the texts are assigned hierarchically structured tags (e. g., place). These tags are used to make the interpretation of the text data explicit. Finally, a standardized formatting can be assigned to all elements that are marked with identical tags in the text. For example, in the WBÖ articles, all location data appears in a smaller font size and in a lighter font color than the other text. At the same time, this tagging also enables a targeted search for e. g., location data in the database as well as the display of regional data (also hierarchically structured from municipality to federal state) on the maps.
The Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) is a working group that has developed a common, XML-based standard for the representation of digital, machine-readable texts. The dictionary articles in the WBÖ are also tagged according to this standard, which is now widely used in the humanities and social sciences.
Which browser works best for LIÖ?
Which browser works best for LIÖ?
The Lexical Information System Austria (LIÖ) can be used with the majority of common browsers (Firefox, Safari) without any problems. For optimal functionality, however, we recommend Google Chrome. As this browser is the most widely used worldwide, the development of LIÖ has been optimized for Google Chrome.