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Regionalsprache.de (REDE)
The research project Regionalsprache.de (REDE) was accepted for funding by the Mainz Academy of Sciences and Literature in 2007. The goal of this project is the first-ever survey and comprehensive analysis of regional language variation in Germany. With a duration of 19 years and a funding amount of about 14 million euros, this project is one of the most extensive research projects in the humanities ever. The data collected in this project, together with the previous scientific results of dialectology, will be made available to everyone on the Internet in an interactive research platform. Thanks to sophisticated language technology methods, it will be possible for the first time for scientists to document and analyze linguistic change online. REDE is also a fascinating resource beyond scientific use: It allows the study of the most diverse manifestations of German dialects, whether in the form of dynamically superimposable language maps, or on the basis of sound recordings of old local dialects, or on the basis of current materials on modern language use. In addition to basic linguistic research, the project offers a wide range of possible applications, for example in criminology or in the context of industrial language processing systems.