Project type: Research

Output: in progress

The linguistic landscape of Aceh, Indonesia, is characterized by a rich array of internal dialectal variations, forcing speakers to constantly navigate between standard and non-standard regional lects. While traditional sociolinguistic research has extensively documented these dialectal differences, the cognitive mechanisms underlying how multilectal speakers process these variations remain under-examined. This study investigates the cognitive access speed and processing efficiency of multilectal Acehnese speakers when encountering different regional dialects. Utilizing an experimental psycholinguistic framework, the study employs an Auditory Lexical Decision Task programmed via PsychoPy. A sample of fifty multilectal university students in Banda Aceh will listen to sixty randomized audio stimuli comprising standard Acehnese words, non-standard local dialect words, and phonotactically legal pseudowords. Cognitive access speed is quantified by measuring accurate reaction times in milliseconds, while data cleaning procedures will filter out incorrect responses and statistical outliers. The expected findings will demonstrate whether there is a significant processing delay, or switching cost, when speakers process non-standard local dialects compared to the prestige standard variety. Ultimately, this research provides empirical insights into the architecture of the multilectal mental lexicon. The implications of this study extend to regional educational policy, offering a cognitive foundation for designing instructional materials that accommodate dialectal diversity without imposing unnecessary cognitive burdens on students from non-standard dialect backgrounds.

Year: January 2025 – September 2026