Chapter 9. Identification of clusters of lexical areas using geographical factors

Clément Chagnaud (1) , Guylaine Brun-Trigaud (2) , Philippe Garat (3)

1 LIG - Laboratoire d'Informatique de Grenoble
2 BCL, équipe Dialectologie et Linguistique formelle
3 SVH - Statistique pour le Vivant et l’Homme

We propose a multidimensional statistical analysis procedure using projection and clustering methods in order to identify coherent clusters in a set of lexical areas. The methodology includes a geographical factor, such as administrative divisions or land cover features, to help the identification of clusters. By applying this method on data from the Occitan language area in the south of France, we are able to identify new spatial patterns and lexical boundaries that do not match traditional dialect boundaries. Our method helps to suggest possible explanations for these new patterns.

Mots clés: geolinguistics; clustering; geovisualisation; statistics; digital humanities; Occitan language

Domaines: Linguistique

Clément Chagnaud, Guylaine Brun-Trigaud, Philippe Garat. Chapter 9. Identification of clusters of lexical areas using geographical factors. Hans Van de Velde; Nanna Haug Hilton; Remco Knooihuizen. Language Variation – European Perspectives VIII Selected papers from the Tenth International Conference on Language Variation in Europe (ICLaVE 10), Leeuwarden, June 2019, John Benjamins B.V., pp.210-225, 2021, 978 90 272 5982 0. ⟨10.1075/silv.25.09cha⟩. ⟨halshs-03272222⟩