Sprechender Sprachatlas Bayern

Adoption of the Spoken Dialect Atlas into the BayernHistoryApp

The „Sprechender Sprachatlas" was provided by the Bavarian State Library until the end of 2020 and is now available with kind permission as a resource for teachers, pupils, partners, and interested users (source: dialekte.schule.bayern.de/sprachatlas/).

The underlying maps come from the „Kleiner Bayerischer Sprachatlas" (Small Bavarian Dialect Atlas), which Prof. Dr. Werner König and Dr. Manfred Renn (University of Augsburg) compiled between 2006 and 2008. They are based on surveys at around 1,600 locations across Bavaria, conducted from 1984 onwards. The audio recordings from 70 locations used for the Spoken Dialect Atlas were freshly recorded and processed in 2006.

There is a difference of 15 to 20 years between the maps and the audio recordings — language changes. The audio recordings therefore do not always match the linguistic areas of the maps. For various reasons, audio recordings are also not available for all locations or all topics without gaps.

The integration into the BayernHistoryApp shows how existing scholarly work can be made accessible in new formats, reaching further audiences. The app serves as a bridge between research and presentation. Not all entries are taken over, but a selected sample that always points back to the reference — ideally to the publication of the „Kleiner Bayerischer Sprachatlas".

The Spoken Dialect Atlas opens up Bavaria's regional speech forms: audible, cartographically located, and identity-forming. The cooperation with the Bavarian State Library makes this extensive resource permanently accessible — for residents and visitors alike.