Mapping the Dimensions of Linguistic Distance: A Study on Quantitative and Qualitative Geolinguistics of Banjar Sundanese Dialect

Abstract

The study was motivated by the factual condition of methodological and theoretical deficiencies promoting the mapping and classification studies of Sudanese Dialect.  The study aims to investigate (1) the comprehensive regional classification of Banjar Sundanese Dialect and (2) the linguistic and non-linguistic factor identification supporting the regional distance in the classification of Banjar Sundanese Dialect. In this case, the study applied a combination method (mixed research methods). The data were collected through participant observation. Furthermore, the calculation of Banjar Sundanese Dialect linguistic distance employed the Levenshtein algorithm in Gabmap. Multidimensional scaling was used to ensure the reliability of the clustering results. Based on the calculation results of the linguistic distance, Banjar Sundanese Dialect can be classified into three sub-dialects, namely the standard Sundanese sub-dialect; the Java-influenced sub-dialect; and the Java-dominated sub-dialect. The study reveals that there are significant differences between Banjar Sundanese Dialect, especially Purwaharja and Langensari sub-dialects, and Standard Sundanese Dialect. One of these differences is caused by the influence of the Javanese language.