Book announced at https://linguistlist.org/issues/35-3063

Title: Mutual Intelligibility between Closely Related Languages
Series Title: Language Contact and Bilingualism [LCB]
Publication Year: 2024

Publisher: De Gruyter Mouton
https://cloud.newsletter.degruyter.com/mouton
Book URL: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111134697/html

Author(s): Charlotte Gooskens

Reviewer: Philemon Victor Gomwalk

Summary

This book is organized into three parts. Part I (Chapters 2 to 5) explains how to measure the level of intelligibility and how to quantify linguistic and extralinguistic determinants of intelligibility (see Figure 1.1). Part II (Chapters 6 and 7) deals in further depth with specific methodology-related issues relating to the statistical measurement and assessment of intelligibility indices between dialects and languages in general. Finally, Part III (Chapters 8 and 9) discusses practical and theoretical reasons for studying mutual intelligibility, desiderata for future research, and some overall conclusions.

Chapter 1 (pp. 1-12) of Gooskens’ book provides useful introductory information on basic definitions and clarification of major concepts and ideas associated with the historical developments in evolution and basic dynamics that underpin intelligibility research in general.

In Chapter 2 (pp. 13-64), Gooskens provides an overview of various methods for measuring intelligibility at different linguistic levels (word level, sentence level, text level, discourse level). He discusses a number of considerations that should be recalled when choosing a method for carrying out an intelligibility investigation; he considers the advantages and disadvantages of the methods and exemplifies each with numerous examples.

Chapter 3 (pp. 65-75) presents the MICReLa project as a specific intelligibility case study conducted between selected West European languages. The chapter details the methodology and some of the material used in this study of the mutual intelligibility of 16 closely related languages in Europe (see Gooskens, van Heuven, Golubović, Schuppert, Swarte & Voigt, 2018).

Chapter 4 (pp. 76-102) provides an overview of extra-linguistic determinants of intelligibility and discusses how they can be quantified. It also presents examples of studies that have found a link between intelligibility and each of the extra-linguistic determinants.

Chapter 5(pp. 103-145) presents typical methods, procedures and research tools/instruments for quantifying and analyzing linguistic determinants of intelligibility at various linguistic levels (lexical, phonetic, morphological, syntactic, paralinguistic). It also provides examples of investigations that have shown significant correlations between intelligibility measurements and linguistic measurements.

Chapter 6 (pp. 149-182) presents various investigations that have looked into the origin of asymmetric intelligibility. Such factors can be both linguistic and extra-linguistic.

Chapter 7 (pp. 183-196) focuses on research intended to make advances toward a model of mutual intelligibility, including an analysis of data from the MICReLa project (see Gooskens, van Heuven, Golubović, Schuppert, Swarte & Voigt, 2018).

Chapter 8 (pp. 199-217) discusses various theoretical and practical applications of intelligibility research.

Chapter 9 (pp. 218-224) concludes with the identification of gaps in our knowledge about processes and phenomena in the area of mutual intelligibility and points to directions for further investigations.

Evaluation

Charlotte Gooskens, the author of the book, Mutual Intelligibility between Closely Related Languages, is not a stranger to the in-depth study of linguistic intelligibility phenomena, especially in relation to Scandinavian and West European languages. This author has been actively involved in a number of top-level fieldwork projects, focusing on various aspects of linguistic intelligibility between language varieties. Out of this intense field-oriented research, she has produced several key publications, from 2004 till 2025. The present book may well be viewed as a ‘first-stage’ effort, on the part of Gooskens’, to bring together into a single, integrated whole the different strands of her emerging theoretical insights and methodological intuitions on the subject matter of linguistic intelligibility. It is in this respect that I view the publication of this new book as ‘significant’ and ‘ground-breaking’ for the progressive development of linguistic intelligibility research in general.

As a sociolinguist, I maintain keen interest in issues of mutual intelligibility between closely related language varieties. In this regard, I find Gooskens’ discussion of developments of new methodologies in mutual intelligibility research in language very interesting and stimulating. The author has rightly indicated that over time, many innovations relating to language intelligibility studies, have arisen out of collaborations between researchers from dialectology, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, applied linguistics, and neuro-linguistics. The findings and ideas from such collaborations have made it possible to measure different levels of mutual intelligibility between speakers of many language varieties and to relate such occurrences to influences of linguistic, paralinguistic and extralinguistic factors. Many dimensions of such interdisciplinary research collaborations are not only highlighted but also comprehensively discussed in different chapters and sections of Gooskens’ book.

The book is, on the whole, well organized in identifying, defining and comprehensively explaining the key theoretical concepts, as well as the methodological procedures associated with intelligibility research, with emphasis on Scandinavian languages in particular and Western European language groups in general. For example, Chapter 1 (Section 1. 1: pp. 5-9) of the book is used to introduce, define and explain the theoretical precepts underlying foundational concepts such as ‘variety’, ‘language’, ‘dialect’, and ‘multilingualism’, as well as the multidimensional nature of ‘linguistic intelligibility’ and linguistic comprehensibilty’, among several others.

In order to contextualize the overall framework within her discussion of linguistic intelligibility phenomena can be properly understood, I have noted with satisfaction that Gooskens has arranged the contents of her book systematically, trying to balance both theoretical and methodological dimensions of his subject matter. In this respect, I have also observed that there are three functionally–related parts to the book; with each part positioned to provide meaningful thematic continuity with the next part.

In the first part of Gooskens’ book (titled ‘Measurements’, encompassing Chapters 2, 3 4 & 5), I find that the topic and subject matter of each chapter is both appropriate and relevant to different issues of intelligibility research discussed. Chapter 2 deals with specific issues related to the methods and procedures for measuring intelligibility between language varieties. Chapter 3 focuses on fieldwork experiences associated with a specific case study of intelligibility research - the MICReLa Project exploring selected West European languages, juxtaposed to Scandinavian languages (see Gooskens et al. 2018). Chapter 4 deals with theoretical issues surrounding extra-linguistic determinants of intelligibility between language varieties. Chapter 5 focuses on both theoretical and methodological linguistic and paralinguistic determinants of intelligibility between language varieties.

In the second part of Gooskens’ book (titled ‘Further Analyses’, encompassing Chapters 6 & 7), I also find that their respective contents are relevant to an overall understanding of both the diachronic evolution and synchronic development of intelligibility research in Northern and Western Europe in particular and other parts of the world in general. Chapter 6 is pivotal to the discussion in Gooskens’ book because it offers innovative and far-reaching arguments for the realities of asymmetric intelligibility as it occurs in Scandinavian and other West European languages. The arguments are aptly supported and anchored by numerous documented examples, all validating the real-life occurrences of intelligibility phenomena between language varieties. Chapter 7 also augments the theoretical relevance of Gooskens’ book by offering what I judge to be a robust and insightful model of intelligibility that integrates subcomponents and that is able to meaningfully explain the underlying dynamics of general and inherent intelligibility. as well as communicative intercomprehension between language varieties.

The third and final part of Gooskens book (titled ‘Applications and conclusions’, covering Chapters 8 and 9) can be seen as providing pertinent and coherent conclusions to the discussion on intelligibility research phenomena in general. Chapter 8 serves to highlight and provide relevant insights on how the key ideas and concepts discussed in preceding chapters of Gooskens’ book have been understood and, subsequently, applied to real-life scenarios of linguistic intelligibility and communicative intercomprehension in different parts of the contemporary world. Chapter 9 offers a number of far-reaching conclusions and suggestions on how future investigations into intelligibility research can be promoted, refined and made more attractive to emergent sociolinguistic scholars in different parts of the contemporary world.

From close readings of the respective chapters and sections of Gooskens’ book, I am convinced that it represents an inspiring and significant contribution to the emergent global literature on language intelligibility studies, developing latent issues raised in previous works of the author (see Gooskens, Kürschner & van Bezooijen, 2012; Gooskens & van Heuven, 2017;Gooskens, van Heuven, Golubović, Schuppert, Swarte & Voigt, 2018; Gooskens & van Heuven, 2020).

All eight chapters in Gooskens’ book are thoughtfully-organized and well-written, citing (where necessary) appropriate case–study data, tables and graphs, to aid potential readers in gaining better understanding of many key concepts and issues related to global intelligibility research. These are appropriately highlighted, discussed and illustrated from a wide range of synchronic and diachronic language sources. I also note with satisfaction that coherence of discourse in key sections of the book is facilitated through apt cross-referencing to relevant past studies in the research area.

On basis of my overall assessment of its academic worth and potential publication value, I would particularly recommend Gooskens’ book to all readers with an average exposure to sociolinguistic terminologies. For readers with slightly higher–level exposure and research interests in linguistic intelligibility studies, the book should be able to offer both broader and more in-depth insights into emergent perspectives on contemporary linguistic variation and communicative language usage, especially as these affect language varieties with typical diachronic affiliations.

References (In-Text citations)

Gooskens, Charlotte, Sebastian Kürschner & Renée van Bezooijen. 2012. Intelligibility of Swedish for Danes: Loan words compared with inherited words. In Henk van der Liet & Muriel Norde (eds.), Language for its own sake, 435–455. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.

Gooskens, Charlotte & Vincent J. van Heuven. 2017. Measuring cross-linguistic intelligibility in the Germanic, Romance and Slavic language groups. Speech Communication, 89. 25–36.

Gooskens, Charlotte, Vincent J. van Heuven, Jelena Golubović, Anja Schuppert, Femke Swarte & Stefanie Voigt. 2018. Mutual intelligibility between closely related languages in Europe. International Journal of Multilingualism , 15(2). 169–193.

Gooskens, Charlotte & Vincent J. van Heuven. 2020. How well can intelligibility of closely related languages in Europe be predicted by linguistic and non-linguistic variables? Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism , 10(3). 351–379.

Supplementary Sources
(Other relevant studies by Reviewed Author)

Gooskens, Charlotte & Wilbert Heeringa. 2004a. Perceptive evaluation of Levenshtein dialect distance measurements using Norwegian dialect data. Language Variation and Change , 16(3). 189–207.

Gooskens, Charlotte & Wilbert Heeringa. 2004b. The position of Frisian in the Germanic language area. In Dicky Gilbers, Maartje Schreuder & Nienke Knevel (eds.), On the boundaries of phonology and phonetics, 61–87. Groningen: University of Groningen

Gooskens, Charlotte. 2007. The contribution of linguistic factors to the intelligibility of closely related languages. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 28(6). 445–467.

About the Reviewer

Philemon Gomwalk is a teacher and researcher, affiliated to the University of Jos in Nigeria, with research interests in both synchronic and diachronic studies and analyses of languages belonging to the Chadic sub-phylum of Afro-Asiatic within the Nigerian sociolinguistic environment.