Spatial Dialectology of Texts: Isoglosses for Presentatives in Written Algerian Judaeo-Arabic

In this article, we introduce an innovative methodology that applies concepts of geographic dialectology to the realm of corpus texts. As a case study, this methodology is applied to the diverse array of presentative particles found in Algerian Judaeo-Arabic, based on a substantial textual corpus from 19th and 20th century Constantine, Algeria. This corpus encompasses texts categorized into four distinct groups: Judaeo-Arabic translations of the Bible, post-biblical texts, non-canonical Hebrew texts, and original writings. We identify six primary presentative forms, each with distinct usage patterns across text groups. Analyzing these patterns, we calculate text similarity and construct a 'geographical-like' map of the corpus. This map serves as a visual representation upon which we delineate lexical isoglosses corresponding to specific presentative particles. This analytical approach illuminates the utilization of presentative particles throughout the textual corpus, revealing underlying relationships and idiosyncrasies that might otherwise evade detection.