View source for Southeast Limburgish dialect

{{Short description|Limburgish variety}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2023}}

'''Southeast Limburgish''' ([[Dutch language|Dutch]]: ''Zuidoost-Limburgs'') is a cover term for the [[Ripuarian (language)|Ripuarian]] dialects spoken in [[Dutch Limburg]].

In the Netherlands and Belgium this group is often included in the generic term '''Limburgish'''. [[Limburgish]] was recognised as a [[regional language]] in [[the Netherlands]] and as such it receives moderate protection under chapter 2 of the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages]].

==Southeast Limburgish and related dialects in Germany and Belgium==
{{Unsourced section|date=July 2023}}
{{Dutch dialects}}
Variants of Southeast Limburgish are spoken around [[Kerkrade]], [[Bocholtz]] and [[Vaals]] in the [[Netherlands]]. Closely related Ripuarian varieties are spoken in [[Herzogenrath]] and [[Aachen]] in [[Germany]] and [[Raeren]] and [[Eynatten]] in [[Belgium]].

==Phonology==
{{improve|reason=Duplicates [[Kerkrade dialect#Phonology]] and [[Kerkrade dialect phonology]], but gives a slightly different transcription (e.g. ʁ vs. ɣ)|date=September 2023}}
{{main|Kerkrade dialect phonology}}
As most other dialects of Ripuarian and Limburgish, Southeast Limburgish features a distinction between the ''thrusting tone'' ({{langx|nl|stoottoon}}, {{langx|de|Schärfung}} or {{lang|de|Stoßton}}), which has a shortening effect on the syllable (not shown in transcriptions in this article) and the ''slurring tone'' ({{langx|nl|sleeptoon}}, {{langx|de|Schleifton}}). In this article, the slurring tone is transcribed as a high tone, whereas the thrusting tone is left unmarked. This is nothing more than a convention, as the phonetics of the Southeast Limburgish pitch accent are severely under-researched. There are minimal pairs, for example {{lang|ksh|moer}} {{IPA|/ˈmuːʀ/}} 'wall' - {{lang|ksh|moer}} {{IPA|/ˈmúːʀ/}} 'carrot' in the Kerkrade dialect.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fournier|first1=Rachel|last2=Gussenhoven|first2=Carlos|last3=Peters|first3=Jörg|last4=Swerts|first4=Marc|last5=Verhoeven|first5=Jo|title=The tones of Limburg|url=http://www.let.ru.nl/gep/jp/TonenLimburg_engels.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226145130/http://www.let.ru.nl/gep/jp/TonenLimburg%20engels.html|archive-date=26 February 2012|access-date=26 February 2012}}</ref>{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|p=19}}

{| class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
|+ Kerkrade consonants
! colspan="2" |
! [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
! [[Dorsal consonant|Dorsal]]
! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
|
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Stop consonant|Plosive]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
| {{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|d}}
|
| ({{IPA link|ɡ}})
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Affricate consonant|Affricate]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
|
| {{IPA link|ts}}
| {{IPA link|tʃ}}
|
|
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|dʒ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! {{small|[[voicelessness|voiceless]]}}
| {{IPA link|f}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|χ}}
|
|-
! {{small|[[voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
| {{IPA link|v}}
| {{IPA link|z}}
| {{IPA link|ʒ}}
| {{IPA link|ʁ}}
| {{IPA link|ɦ}}
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Liquid consonant|Liquid]]
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
| {{IPA link|ʀ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| {{IPA link|β̞|w}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
|}

The sounds corresponding to Limburgish {{IPA|/x, ɣ/}} are very back after back vowels, being uvular {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|χ}}, {{IPAplink|ʁ}}]}} (as in Luxembourgish), rather than velar as in Limburgish. In fact, there is not much of a difference between {{IPA|/ʁ/}} and {{IPA|/ʀ/}} in the Kerkrade dialect.{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|p=17}}{{sfnp|Gilles|Trouvain|2013|p=68}}

Most instances of historical {{IPA|/ɡ/}} ({{IPA|/ɣ/}} in Limburgish and (southern) Standard Dutch) have merged with {{IPA|/j/}}, so that the word for ''green'' in the Kerkrade dialect is {{lang|ksh|jreun}} {{IPA|/ˈjʀøːn/}} (compare Standard Dutch {{lang|nl|groen}} {{IPA|/ˈɣrun/}}).{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|pp=17, 126}} The dialect of Lemiers is much more similar to the dialect of Vaals than the dialect spoken in [[Vijlen]] (called {{lang|li|Vieleter}} or {{lang|li|Vielender}}) as the former features the [[High German consonant shift]]. In Lemiers, the etymological {{IPA|/ɡ/}} ({{IPA|/ɣ/}} in Limburgish and southern Standard Dutch) has not fully shifted to {{IPA|/j/}} in consonant clusters. Thus, the word for ''big'' (Standard Dutch {{lang|nl|groot}} {{IPA|nl|ˈɣroːt|}}), varies between {{IPA|[ˈɣʁuəs]}} and {{IPA|[ˈjʁuəs]}}. A Limburgish dialectologist Will Kohnen recommends the spelling {{lang|ksh|jroeës}} to cover this variation (cf. Vieleter {{lang|li|groeët}}). In [[Kerkrade dialect|Kerkrade]], the shift has been completed and so only the form {{IPA|[ˈjʀuəs]}} occurs.{{sfnp|Kohnen|2003|p=1}}{{sfnp|Bodelier|2011|p=11}}

The palatal {{IPAblink|ç}} is an allophone of {{IPA|/χ/}} after consonants, the front vowels and the close-mid central {{IPA|/ø/}}, which phonologically is a front vowel.{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|p=17}} In some dialects, {{IPAblink|ç}} is fronted, which may result in a merger with {{IPAblink|ʃ}}. That is the case in the dialect of Vaals, in which the first person singular pronoun is {{lang|ksh|iesj}} {{IPA|[iʃ]}}, rather than {{lang|li|ich}} {{IPA|[ɪç]}} or {{lang|li|iech}} {{IPA|[iç]}} found in other dialects of Limburgish. In Aachen, {{IPAblink|ç}} is also fronted but without a merger with {{IPAblink|ʃ}}, with the resulting sound being {{IPAblink|ɕ}}, as it used to be the case in Luxembourgish (which is rapidly transitioning towards a full merger). The two sounds are not distinguished in [[Rheinische Dokumenta]].

Before consonants and pauses, {{IPA|/ʀ/}} may be vocalized to {{IPAblink|ɐ}}, especially in Germany. Thus, the name of the Aachen dialect in the dialect itself is {{lang|ksh|Öcher Platt}} {{IPA|[ˈœɕɐ ˈplɑt]}}. In the Netherlands, the consonantal pronunciation is more likely to occur.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:aut"
|+Kerkrade vowels{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|pp=15–17}}
! colspan="2" rowspan="3" |
! colspan="4" | [[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! colspan="2" | {{small|[[Unrounded vowel|unrounded]]}}
! colspan="2" | {{small|[[Rounded vowel|rounded]]}}
|-
! {{small|short}}
! {{small|long}}
! {{small|short}}
! {{small|long}}
! {{small|short}}
! {{small|long}}
! {{small|short}}
! {{small|long}}
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
| {{IPA link|iː}}
| {{IPA link|ʏ|y}}
| {{IPA link|yː}}
|
|
| {{IPA link|u}}
| {{IPA link|uː}}
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | [[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɪ|e}}
| {{IPA link|eː}}
| {{IPA link|ɵ|ø}}
| {{IPA link|øː}}
| rowspan="2" | {{IPA link|ə}}
|
| {{IPA link|o}}
| {{IPA link|oː}}
|- align=center
! colspan="2" | [[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
| {{IPA link|ɛ̝|ɛ}}
| {{IPA link|ɛː}}
| {{IPA link|œ}}
| {{IPA link|œː}}
|
| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
| {{IPA link|ɔː}}
|- align="center"
! colspan="2" | [[Open vowel|Open]]
|
|
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|ä|aː}}
| {{IPA link|ɑ}}
|
|- align="center
! rowspan="2" | [[Diphthong]]s
! {{small|closing}}
| colspan="8" | {{IPA|ɛɪ &nbsp; œʏ &nbsp; ɔɪ &nbsp; ɔʊ &nbsp; aɪ &nbsp; aʊ}}
|- align="center"
! {{small|centering}}
| colspan="8" | {{IPA|iə &nbsp; yə &nbsp; uə &nbsp; eə &nbsp; œə &nbsp; oə}}
|}

* The short close-mid vowels {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/ø/}} and {{IPA|/o/}} in {{lang|ksh|visje}} {{IPA|/ˈveʃə/}}, {{lang|ksh|sjuts}} {{IPA|/ˈʃøts/}} and {{lang|ksh|hóste}}  {{IPA|/ˈɦostə/}} are the same as Limburgish {{IPA|/ɪ/}}, {{IPA|/ʏ/}} and {{IPA|/ʊ/}}. The difference lies in transcription, not in realization. The latter transcription is rooted in Standard Dutch spelling, in which the tense {{IPA|/i/}} (spelled {{angbr|ie}}) and {{IPA|/y/}} (spelled {{angbr|u(u)}}) contrast with their lax counterparts {{IPA|/ɪ/}} (spelled {{angbr|i}}) and {{IPA|/ʏ/}} (spelled {{angbr|u}}) purely by quality. In Standard German, the tense {{IPA|/iː, yː, uː/}} (spelled {{angbr|i(e), ü(h), u(h)}}) contrast with the lax {{IPA|/ɪ, ʏ, ʊ/}} (spelled {{angbr|i, ü, u}}) mainly by length, with the quality difference being secondary. In Western Germany (where Ripuarian in spoken), they are often close {{IPA|[{{IPAplink|i}}, {{IPAplink|y}}, {{IPAplink|u}}]}}, mapping onto Ripuarian {{IPA|/i, y, u/}}, whereas the vowels in {{lang|ksh|visje}}, {{lang|ksh|sjuts}} and {{lang|ksh|hóste}} are perceived as in-between the local realizations of Standard German {{IPA|/ɪ, ʏ, ʊ/}} and {{IPA|/ɛ, œ, ɔ/}}, which is why they are spelled {{angbr|e, ö, o}} ({{lang|ksh|vesche}}, {{lang|ksh|schötz}}, {{lang|ksh|hoste}})
* {{IPA|/ə/}} occurs only in unstressed syllables.
* {{IPA|/aː/}} is a phonological back vowel like {{IPA|/ɑ/}}, and the two function as a long–short pair. The former is phonetically central {{IPAblink|äː}}, whereas the latter is a genuine back vowel {{IPAblink|ɑ}}.{{sfnp|Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer|1997|pp=15, 18}} In other Ripuarian varieties, the latter may also be central {{IPAblink|ä}}, and for this reason it may be transcribed with {{angbr IPA|a}}.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Cite thesis
|last=Bodelier
|first=Jorina
|year=2011
|title=Tone and intonation in the Lemiers dialect of Ripuarian
|type=MA General Linguistics Thesis
|place=Amsterdam
|publisher=University of Amsterdam
}}
* {{Citation
|last1=Gilles
|first1=Peter
|last2=Trouvain
|first2=Jürgen
|year=2013
|title=Luxembourgish
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=43
|issue=1
|pages=67–74
|doi=10.1017/S0025100312000278
|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/3C9FB295A261FD6F28D694252B06B4A3/S0025100312000278a.pdf/luxembourgish.pdf
|doi-access=free
}}
* {{Cite web
|last=Kohnen
|first=Will
|year=2003
|title=Sjpelling 2003 van 't Vieleter, Völser en Lemieësjer in 't kót
|url=http://www.limburgsedialecten.nl/download/vieleter1notedop.pdf
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501170338/http://www.limburgsedialecten.nl/download/vieleter1notedop.pdf
|archive-date=1 May 2019
|access-date=13 August 2022
}}
* {{Cite book
|author=Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer
|year=1997
|orig-year=1987
|title=Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer
|language=nl
|edition=2nd
|place=Kerkrade
|publisher=Stichting Kirchröadsjer Dieksiejoneer
|isbn=90-70246-34-1
}}
{{refend}}

[[Category:West Germanic languages]]
[[Category:Limburgish language]]
[[Category:Low Franconian languages]]
[[Category:Ripuarian language]]