Balkan Borderline Phenomena through the Prism of Areal Linguistics

Abstract

Based on the study of Romance dialects M. Bartoli identifies five types of correlation between the chronology of linguistic facts and their areal characteristics, called by him norme areali in order to emphasize that they are statistical tendencies rather than rules or actual laws: norma delle aree laterali (norm of the lateral areas) – dialects in the periphery do not always participate in innovations radiating from the center (1925: 6); norma dell’area meno esposta (norm of the less exposed area) – dialects in isolated areas are as a rule more conservative (1925: 3); norma dell’area maggiore (norm of the more extended area) – the longer the lifespan of a linguistic fact, the wider the territory in which it is displayed (1925: 10); norma dell’area seriore (norm of the older area) – when a language variety is spoken in new territories, such as in colonies for instance, it may stop participating in innovations stemming from the center, and may preserve features lost in the old country (1925: 13); norma della fase soprafatta (norm of the superseded stage) – a phenomenon completely ousted by another in a given territory is the older one (1925: 15) (cf. Бояджиев 1996).