Dialect as capital: Dialect performance in the production of authenticity in Bornholm tourism and high-end restaurants

Dr. Marie Maegaard, Universität Kopenhagen

Throughout the 20th century an intense linguistic standardization process has taken place in Denmark leading to the dedialectalization of language use in almost all areas. However, while globalization leads to dialect levelling, at the same time it leads to idelological difference between was is imagined to be quite distinct varieties. The ideological difference between “Danish” and “Bornholmian” is central to the construction of value for several local Bornholm food producers and for other food entrepeneurs marketing Bornholmian products.

By drawing on two case studies, I will show how elements of traditional Bornholm dialect are used in the construction of the authentic Bornholm experience to consumers perceived as “outsiders”. The first case study concerns a winery at Bornholm. The winegrower offers guided tours to tourists, and these tours are framed as a Bornholm experience by his use of traditional Bornholm dialect. Most importantly, his use of dialect works to both include and exlude tourists in the event, creating a typical tourist experience.

The second case is a study of two high-end Bornholm restaurants in Copenhagen. Here, Bornholm dialect is also used strategically, for instance in the speech of the waiters or as written dialect on the menu. In the paper I will focus on the making of a “Bornholmian cocktail” in one of the restaurants. The cocktail is served in glasses which have different Bornholmian words engraved. I will analyze the process leading to this decision, and I will argue that in this case, it is not only a construction of authenticity that is taking place. Rather it is a performance of Bornholmness that leads to a complex guest experience of both authenticity and inauthenticity at the same time.