About dialectology lessons at lithuanian schools: a qualitative study

Dabartinė lietuvių bendrinė kalba yra per daugelį metų besivysčiusios kalbos rezultatas. Ji susiformavo vakarų aukštaičių kauniškių tarmės pagrindu. XXI a. daugelis žmonių yra dvikalbiai, nes gali prabilti ir bendrine kalba, ir gimtąja tarme. Nors šiandien tarmės vis labiau traukiasi į pasyviąją moksleivių ir mokytojų kalbos vartoseną, būtent jos geriau padeda suprasti lietuvių kalbos gyvybingumą, šmaikštumą, prasmingumą. Straipsnyje analizuojama tarmių mokymo situacija bendrojo ugdymo mokykloje, pateikiami atlikto kokybinio tyrimo, analizavusio mokytojų ir moksleivių požiūrį į tarmių mokymą(si), rezultatai, svarstoma, ar tarmių mokymas ir mokymasis šiuolaikiniame globaliame pasaulyje padeda moksleiviams ir mokytojams formuoti(s) savo tapatybęModern standard Lithuanian language is the result of the development of the language over a period of time. The basis for the language was the dialect spoken in the western part of the Aukštaitija ethnographic area of Lithuania around the city of Kaunas. The vitality, wit, and meaning of the language can be better understood through dialects. Today, however, dialects are less and less used by pupils, teachers, and students of philology; we hear less of them on radio and TV. It is understood that public use of dialects is limited by the fact that not all residents of Lithuania can understand texts in local dialects, so the most distinctive, interesting, unexpected, and expressive dialect words and words of the standard language are used passively making the language bookish, its syntactic structure rigid, and changing the whole grammar. Dialects for many pupils and young people are associated with poor language, provincial intellect and other negative associations. Such thinking is provoked by the lack of information and reluctance to take interest in one’s own local dialect as well as many other socio-cultural reasons. However, dialects are a very important part of Lithuanian culture. Many people in the 21st century are bilingual, because they can speak both the standard language and dialects or at least the language with clear or slightly felt distinguishing characteristics. Contributing to EU attempts to promote local languages and having regard to the fact that the living tradition of dialects in Lithuania is in decline, the Seimas declared 2013 as the Year of Dialects. The aim of this article is to discuss the situation in teaching dialects at general education schools and to explore the attitude of teachers and pupils of general education schools to teaching / learning dialectsVytauto Didžiojo universitetasŠvietimo akademij