The article introduces a methodology based on GIS technology, which has not yet been applied in Lithuania, for analyzing linguistic attitudes. This study illustrates the possibilities of the Spatial Data Infrastructure for Lithuanian Language.
The research material consists of data from 198 questionnaires collected in 2023–2024. Students aged 16–20 from 7 secondary schools in the area of Eastern Aukštaitian subdialect of Panevėžys were surveyed. They were given a questionnaire based on the principles of perceptual dialectology methodology. The questionnaire consists of: 1) a mental map task to examine geolinguistic competence – determining where, in the opinion of young people, the dialect is spoken; 2) a questionnaire-online application consisting of open and closed questions about the language usage habits of the respondents, their perception of the linguistic environment, their attitudes towards language, and their associations of dialect speakers.
The collected data on linguistic attitudes was analyzed using GIS tools and methods in several stages: 1) it was determined how respondents perceive language variation and which areas of Lithuania they consider to be dialectal zones (geolinguistic competence was assessed); 2) the language variant that gymnasium students associate with the language of their native region (linguistic homeland) was identified; 3) the map task and the answers to the questions were linked.
It has been established that the new GIS-based methodology is suitable for analyzing linguistic attitudes. Applying it, it is possible to look at the linguistic material of perceptual dialectology (both the map task and the questionnaire data) in a different way, i.e., in one place (on the same map) and using new quantitative analysis methods.
GIS tools have revealed that young people’s perception is dominated by a five-part typology of dialects based on ethnographic background: the dialects of Aukštaitija, Žemaitija, Suvalkija, Dzūkija, and Mažoji Lietuva are distinguished. The geolinguistic competence of active dialect users and respondents who hear the dialect in their community and have a positive attitude towards it is higher than that of respondents who do not use the dialect, do not hear it in their community, and have a negative attitude towards it. Thus, positive linguistic attitudes can influence knowledge about dialects and their distribution. Conversely, negative linguistic attitudes, as shown by the study, can influence young people’s ability to recognize marked dialects (easily recognizable to most Lithuanians).
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