”Det var som en hakspit skulle ha knakkat på dören” : The Influence of Centripetal and Centrifugal Forces on Orthographic Choices and Linguistic Identification in Kågeträskdagboken

This thesis is based on Kågeträskdagboken, a peasant diary written by sisters Greta and Lovisa Dahlqvist near Skellefteå in northern Sweden between 1981 and 1901. The research has sought to establish whether centripetal or centrifugal forces determine the orthographical choices Greta and Lovisa make in their writing as well as what kind of impact these forces have on these authors’ linguistic identification. When centripetal forces are at play, people tend to write in a way that agrees with conventions and standardised language which means that orthographical patterns are applied. Centrifugal forces move away from centring institutions and apply heterographic patterns that challenge a language’s norms and conventions. Research in this thesis was conducted using a variety of orthographic variables and meticulously reviewing the source material. After gathering the data, a lengthy process of analysis, interpretation, and compilation began. Based on the results, it is apparent that both centripetal and centrifugal forces influence the linguistic choices of the writers, as evidenced by the diary’s prevalent orthographic and heterographic spelling patterns. One further finding is that these forces are having a cumulative impact on the writers, creating an identification linguistically with both their local dialect, skelleftemål, and the standardised written language of Swedish