SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS ’ ATTITUDE TO DIALECTS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE BORDER

Abstract

It is well-known that dialects are stigmatized in Hungarian speaking areas, but even though dialects are getting supressed, the majority still speaks in a dialect. People’s attitude to dialects is extremely important in the Vajdaság (Province of Vojvodina), because the loss of the dialect would mean losing the language itself. It is proven, that a positive language attitude is vital in preserving a minority language. This paper analyses Hungarian speaking secondary school students’ – aged 15-18 – attitude to dialects from the Vajdaság and Hungary. The data elicited with questionnaires is analysed with consideration to their gender, age and their parents’ level of education. Furthermore, open questions allow for a deeper look into their views on issues of dialect. The aim of this paper is to compare secondary school students’ attitude to dialect from Vajdaság with the students from Hugnary and to survey their knowledge of Hungarian dialects.