Abstract
The Linguistic Atlas of the Middle and South Atlantic States(LAMSAS) is admirably accessible for reanalysis (seehttp://hyde.park.uga.edu/lamsas/,Kretzschmar, 1994). The present paper applies alexical distance measure to assess the lexical relatedness of LAMSAS'ssites, a popular focus of investigation in the past(Kurath, 1949; Carver, 1989; McDavid, 1994). Several conclusions arenoteworthy: First, and least controversially, we note that LAMSAS isdialectometrically challenging at least due to the range of fieldworkers and questionnaires employed. Second, on the issue of whichareas ought to be recognized, we note that our investigations tend tosupport a three-wayNorth/South/Midlands division rather than a two-wayNorth/South division, i.e. they tend to support Kurath and McDavidrather than Carver, but this tendency is not conclusive. Third, weextend dialectometric technique in suggesting means of dealing withalternate forms and multiple responses.
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Nerbonne, J., Kleiweg, P. Lexical Distance in LAMSAS. Computers and the Humanities 37, 339–357 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025042402655
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025042402655