Bendrinės kalbos poveikis Kazlų Rūdos šnektai
The impact of Standard language on the sub-dialect of Kazlų Rūda

Summary/Abstract: The sub-dialect of Kazlų Rūda occupies a small area of the dialect of Kaunas Kapsai of Western Highlanders and is located almost in its geographical centre. The paper deals with the distinctive features of the sub-dialect and its differences from the surrounding (sub-)dialects as well as the overall situation of its present-day use. The paper claims that at all levels of language use the traditional dialect is substituted by semi-dialectal or standard language forms. The traditional dialect has been preserved in the language of the oldest generation, whereas the elder and part of the middle generation speak a semi-dialect; part of the middle generation, all people in the younger and youngest generations give preference to the regional spoken variety of the standard language. It is generally acknowledged that the speech of all generations can be characterised as a distinctive dialectal speech: the phonetic system of the sub-dialect functions and changes within its own boundaries. When compiling dictionaries of dialects, the changing use of dialects has to be considered. It is also important to determine principles of presenting the lexicon of contemporary language. To be able to reflect traditional dialects rather than all data of the newly coined semi-dialect (or both) in the dictionary, it is important to delimit or mark the inherited lexicon and new borrowings originating in other dialects and the standard language. For that purpose, the markings of neologisms and innovations could be used.

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