Het einde van de Uerdinger lijn als scherprechter? Op zoek naar de grens tussen de noordelijke en zuidelijke dialecten in Limburg

Samenvatting

Dialect areas are usually demarcated by specific isoglosses. The Uerdinger line is supposed to separate the Northern Lower Frankish from the Southern Lower Frankish dialects. We applied dialectometrical methods to investigate the border between the two dialect areas in Dutch Limburg, using a large set of words from the rnd dialect survey. We applied different cluster analyses, including phylogenetic techniques. All outcomes indicate that the real border is north of the Uerdinger line. The dialect area and its border were primarily shaped by old expansions from the south. The border found is strengthened by a specific buffer zone (the ‘Horster band’).