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EARLY BREAKDOWN OF ISOLATION REVEALED BY MARRIAGE BEHAVIOUR IN A LADIN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY (GARDENA VALLEY, SOUTH TYROL, ITALY, 1825–1924)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2011

PAOLA GUERESI
PAOLA GUERESI
Affiliation:
Department of Statistical Sciences ‘P. Fortunati’, University of Bologna, Italy
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Summary

The aim of this study was to investigate marriage behaviour from 1825 to 1924 in an Alpine valley inhabited by Ladin speakers (Gardena Valley, South Tyrol, Italy), where the particular geographic, linguistic and economic characteristics may have influenced the level of reproductive isolation. A total of 2183 marriage acts from the two main parishes of Santa Cristina and Ortisei were examined. Birth and residence endogamy, inbreeding coefficients from dispensations and from isonymy, birth place distribution of the spouses and isonymic relationships were analysed in four 25-year sub-periods. All the indicators considered point to a lower level of reproductive isolation at Ortisei, a main centre for the woodcarving industry, which appeared to be experiencing an early and effective breakdown of isolation. Marriage behaviour in the Gardena Valley between 1825 and 1924 seems to have been mostly influenced by socioeconomic factors rather than linguistic and cultural ones.

Type
Short Report
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 44 , Issue 3 , May 2012 , pp. 365 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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