The overall lexical similarity percentages among all Adi wordlists ranges from 22 to 83 percent. The wordlist from Milang is the most divergent of all, with low percentages of 22–34 percent between it and
the other wordlists. Two main clusters emerge in the matrix. One cluster is comprised of wordlists from Padam,
Shimong, Minyong, Ashing and Bori, with lexical similarity percentages ranging from 63 to 83 percent. The Ashing wordlist has a higher similarity than expected, since the language is reported to be difficult
for some people to understand. In general, the wordlists in this cluster represent language groups that are geographically closer to one another than they are to the language groups from other locations.
The other cluster is comprised of the Pailibo, Bokar and Ramo wordlists, with lexical similarity percentages ranging from 65 to 72 percent. As with the other cluster, these language groups are
generally close to one another geographically. The similarity between these two clusters is relatively low, ranging from 49 to 65 percent. It should be noted that the threshold for deciding whether intelligibility
is possible is 60 percent.
3
2.1.2 Recorded text questions
An additional method, termed recorded text questions, was used to gather further information about Adi dialects. Passages of Scripture in the Padam variety of Adi were recorded and played for six people from
five other Adi groups.
4
Questions were asked regarding the subjects’ understanding of the Padam speech variety and attitudes toward it.
Two of the six subjects correctly identified the language in the passages as Padam. The other four subjects said Minyong. Half of the subjects said that they were able to recognise the place where the
storyteller was from because of the languagedialect he used. Some subjects gave other reasons, such as his pronunciation or style.
Five out of the six subjects said that the speech on the recording was good, and one said it was average. Four subjects said that the speech was pure. The two subjects who felt that the language was
not pure said it was mixed, one saying with Minyong and Padam. In response to the question “Is the storyteller’s speech a little or very different from your speech?”
two subjects said it was a little different, and the remaining four said that it was very different. Subjects felt that the speech was different from their own because of pronunciation, words and style.
Five of the six subjects said that they understood half or more of the Adi-Padam passage. The Ramo person said she could understand only 30 percent of the text.
2.1.3 Questionnaires
A questionnaire was used to gather general information about dialect perceptions as well as language use, language attitudes and vitality, and bilingualism, discussed below. Subjects were asked questions
regarding the speech of different Adi groups, such as how well they understood the people and how different it was from their own speech.
A total of eight subjects representing eight different Adi groups were administered the questionnaires; one questionnaire was administered in each group. The questionnaire subjects were the
same as the wordlist subjects, except that no questionnaire was administered to the Padam subject. Almost all the subjects were young and educated. Figure 2 gives the locations where the questionnaires
and wordlists were administered.
3
According to Blair 1990:23, any speech varieties above 60 percent lexical similarity indicate the possibility of adequate comprehension, but intelligibility testing would be necessary to confirm this. Speech varieties that have
less than 60 percent lexical similarity are typically considered to represent different languages.
4
Two people among Bokar listened to the passages.
Dialect District
Adi-Minyong East Siang
Adi-Ramo East Siang
Adi-Ashing Upper Siang
Adi-Pailibo West Siang
Adi-Shimong Upper Siang
Adi-Bokar West Siang
Adi-Bogum Bokang Upper Siang
Adi-Milang East Siang
Figure 2. Sites where wordlists and questionnaires were administered.
In response to the question of whether there are areas where Adi is spoken very differently from the way subjects speak, all subjects except one said yes. Five subjects mentioned that it is Milang people who
live in these areas. Subjects were asked if they had met Adi people from different areas and how much they can
understand of their language. In response, subjects mentioned Milang as being different, with such comments as, “I will not understand Milang.”
Subjects were asked whether they had met people from groups that are relatively unknown such as Tangam, Pailibo and Ramo. Whatever group people mentioned, half said the group’s language is very
different. Subjects were also asked how much those people understand of their language. The responses were mixed, but there was a general acknowledgement that other groups have difficulty understanding
them. The Shimong subject said that Milang can understand all.
Two questions were asked about where the purestsweetest Adi is spoken.
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Subjects were not able to say unanimously a particular place. Padam is the dialect in which most Adi literature is found, which
might be a reason that two subjects, who are not mother tongue speakers of Padam, mentioned that as the purest variety. Another person mentioned Padam as the second purest variety. The most common
reasons given for people’s selection was that they understand the variety and therefore consider it to be pure.
2.1.4 Interviews
