A linguistic atlas, in general, is a set of maps that shows the regional variation and unity of language in a given territory. Implies a field in which a survey is given (in the classical dialectology) at different locations (red dots) in order to contrast how people talk at each point. Traditionally used only male informants who met the following formula: native of the sites (some travel), older men and farmers. Chambers and Trudgill in his famous publication dialectology (1994) presents it as Norms for its acronym in English. In modern times, in the current dialectology diatráticas seeks to incorporate variables (such as gender, schooling, etc.) Diaphasic indications (speaking, reading, etc.) The dialect (regional), as in the Atlas of Mexico and the dystopian and Atlas Diatrático Uruguay. In El Salvador there have been three attempts to develop a linguistic atlas:
1. The first atlas was talk of a U.S. professor Delos Lincoln Canfield, who in the summers of 1951 and 1952 came to the country to do field work and administered the survey Tomas Navarro. In the same year of 1952 wrote the article Salvadoran Andalusian pronunciation, in which he announced that work will soon publish a form of linguistic atlas of this political entity.
2. The second attempt, the teacher announced as interest Romeo Balmore Vides in his graduation thesis of arts degree at the University of El Salvador in the late 70's. Mr. Vines said he hopes his work on the glossary of construction workers is for the development of linguistic atlas of El Salvador. However, was never written at that time projects to these ends.
3. The third attempt was made at the UCA, in the early 80's running a series of surveys which formed after the American professor Judith Maxwell, who visited the University, to write English in El Salvador, a Brand generative work that has basic features our English. When you contact my good friend and former professor at National University, Ms. Echeverria Montufar current communications professor in the department of the UCA tells me there is no record of such a project at the UCA.
The fourth time's the charm, introduced in 2003 as a doctoral thesis project the realization of an atlas, which now (2008) is completed in its Phase I phonetics and ready to publish.
