The concept of Samogitianness in the Northern Samogitian dialect

• Judžentytė-Šinkūnienė, Gintarė
• Nikartaitė, Saulė

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Kognityvinė semantika; Atributas; Prototipai; Žemaitija; Žemaitiškumo konceptas. Keywords: Cognitive semantics; Attribute; Prototypes; The Lowlands; Concept of Samogitianness.

ENThis paper explores semantics and cognitive meaning of concept of Samogitianness in Northern Samogitian dialect. The analysis verifies whether the meaning depends on the distribution within the territory (Samogitia and Aukštaitija), as well. The data for the research was collected by filling in the questionnaires and by recording audio material: Northern Samogitians were surveyed verbally and in written form (the ones who were surveyed verbally were speaking Samogitian, some questionnaires were also filled in Samogitian). The people representing other dialects were surveyed online on www.manoapklausa.lt. The interviewees were asked to answer the given questions without additional thinking. Three separate tables (key signs of Samogitianness for Samogitians; key signs of Samogitianness for non-Samogitians and common one (i. e., cognitive meaning of Samogitian in Lithuanian)) were completed to represent researched data. Cognitive meanings were compared, and actual differences were explained. The main aim of the paper is to reveal the cognitive meanings assigned to the concept of Samogitianness of Northern Samogitians, and representatives of other dialects, and to determine the prototype features of the concept of Samogitian. [From the publication]