Some context on dialects that I read, though I want to emphasize that it doesn't invalidate the OP or dialect research in general, it (hopefully) informs our un

Some context on dialects that I read, though I want to emphasize that it doesn't invalidate the OP or dialect research in general, it (hopefully) informs our understanding of it: "There are no such things as dialects. Or rather, 'a dialect' does not exist as a discrete entity. Attempts to delimit a dialect by topographical, political or administrative boundaries ignore the obvious fact that within any such boundaries there will be variation for some features, while other variants will cross the borders (Laing and Lass 2006: 417). / ... / A dialect atlas is, at least in part, a set of maps showing the distribution of linguistic features in space. Whether modern or historical, it is not made up, however, of static displays of dots or boundary markers on regional maps. Rather, it shows a continuum of overlapping distributions, where 'dialects' are assemblages of regional features that vary from map to map both spatially and temporally. This is because language change, like biological change, occurs differentially in different spatial settings. Change over time involves the vagaries of language use and thus introduces a necessary social dimension. Dialectology therefore operates on three planes: space, time and speech community." http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/ihd/laeme2/laeme_intro_ch1.html http://www.lel.ed.ac.uk/ihd/laeme2/laeme_intro_ch1.html