The ABCs of dialect: exploring historical notes digitally

Language is one of the most important means of human communication. It is also an essential part of our culture, has an identity-forming function and is at the same time subject to constant change. Especially when it comes to empirical research into the variation and change of words and their meaning, citizens played an important role even back then, long before the term citizen science was established to describe a methodological paradigm. Citizens were not only passive suppliers of linguistic data, but also actively participated in their collection. The aim of the current project is therefore to transcribe, i.e., digitally write down the words and meanings contained on the more than hundred-year-old paper slips pertaining to the collection of the historical dictionary WBÖ (Wörterbuch der Bairischen Mundarten in Österreich / Dictionary of Bavarian dialects in Austria) with the help of citizens, and to evaluate them, i.e. to assess whether certain expressions are still used and known today. Selected digitised paper slips (collection of the letters A to C) are will be made available and accessible via a platform together with the knowledge gained in the project. The citizens are actively involved in the evaluation of the historical dialect vocabulary by assessing its relevance and potential changes in meaning and use, for current language use with the help of their own language skills. A particular challenge is to read, interpret and correctly transcribe the large number of different handwritings, such as the Kurrent script, since various handwritings that were common in the past are no longer in use today. In this way, the interest of citizens in their linguistic and regional heritage should be generated, historical information made digitally accessible and a connection to current research on vocabulary, language variation and change in the project " Deutsch in Österreich. Variation Kontakt Perzeption /German in Austria. Variation Contact Perception. A particular added value of the project is that the historical language material, which was collected around a hundred years ago using citizen science methods (even if they were not called that at the time), is made accessible again to citizens and they can actively contribute to the evaluation and the digital processing of this historical material.

How much have dialects in Austria changed over the last 100 years? The Top Citizen Science project "The ABCs of Dialects" explored this question by inviting interested citizens to explore the over 100-year-old handwritten notes of the Dictionary of Bavarian Dialects in Austria (WBÖ). A particular benefit of the project was that the historical material, which was also collected using citizen science methods (even if they weren't called that back then), was made accessible to the public, allowing them to contribute to the analysis and transcription of this historical material. Digitized versions of selected handwritten paperslips for the letters A, B/P, and C were made available via the crowdsourcing platform Zooniverse (https://abc-mitmachen.acdh.oeaw.ac.at). Participants could dedicate themselves to two main tasks: 1. transcribing the old handwritten notes and 2. reflecting on whether they still know these words today and even use them themselves. This approach allowed researchers to directly compare historical dialect data with the language use of contemporary dialect speakers. Among the biggest challenges reported by participants was reading the handwriting of different individuals in Kurrent script. The project's findings indicate that a large proportion of historical words that once shaped everyday life and family life are now perceived as outdated or are completely unknown. Younger speakers often associate these words only with their grandparents' generation. In contrast, words from the school environment show a certain degree of stability. The project also demonstrated that language can change through the replacement of older words with newer variants. At the same time, words can also disappear from active vocabulary because the associated objects or concepts are no longer used in everyday life. Nevertheless, the meanings of the majority of the still-known words remain stable over time. Overall, "The ABCs of Dialects" showed that citizens can make an important contribution to dialect research in the 21st century. By actively involving the public, the project enabled interested citizens to engage with their own dialect and thus with a part of Austria's intangible cultural heritage.