Phonetic stability across time: Linguistic enclaves in Switzerland

The present paper shows results of a proof-of-concept study on two historically related but geographically separated dialects Swiss German. Between the 12th and 14th centuries, speakers Valais German (southwestern Switzerland) emigrated to southeastern part country, forming so-called Sprachinseln (enclaves) in Romansh-speaking area. Using an online survey, we collected responses from 300+ participants cantons Grisons examine how have developed over time. Results suggest stability phonetic level, i. e. still sound very similar despite having been for 800 years. morphosyntax lexicon, however, exhibit substantial change. We discuss historic sociodemographic factors that may explain these patterns.