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Japanese dialects

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Zones map of copula "da" "ja" "ya"

Japanese dialects (hōgen 方言) is comprised of many regional variants. The lingua franca of Japan is called hyōjungo (標準語 lit. "standard language"), or kyōtsūgo (共通語 lit. "common language") and while it was based initially on Tokyo dialect, the language of Japan's capital has since gone in its own direction to become one of Japan's many dialects. Dialects are commonly called -ben (弁, 辯 ex. "Osaka-ben" means "Osaka dialect") and sometime also called -kotoba (言葉,ことば ex. "Kyo-kotoba" means "Kyoto dialect").

Some casual pronunciation is common to most dialects of Japanese. Much as English has unofficial contractions such as going to → gonna, Japanese has fairly standard ways to create less formal pronunciations. Such as -ai or -oi → -ee, as in dekinai → dekinee or sugoi → sugee (most commonly used with -nai) as well as R absorption: wakaranai → wakan'nai (→ wakan'nee by the previous rule)

Eastern Japanese

Hokkaidō Dialect

The residents of Hokkaidō are (relatively) recent arrivals from all parts of Japan, and this combination of influences has resulted in a set of regionalisms sometimes called Hokkaidō-ben. Hokkaidō-ben appears to have been influenced most significantly by Tōhoku-ben, not surprising due to Hokkaidō's geographic proximity to northeastern Honshū. Characteristics of Hokkaidō-ben include speech that contains fewer gender-specific differences, a rich vocabulary of regionalisms, and alternatives to "desu". There is a tendency toward rapid, abbreviated speech patterns, as is not uncommon in other rural areas of Japan. Overall, Hokkaidō-ben is not dramatically different from what is called standard Japanese. Most native speakers of Hokkaidō-ben can easily switch to standard Japanese when the situation calls for it. However, Hokkaidō-ben is different enough that the prepared ear has an advantage in understanding it.

Tōhoku Dialect

Tōhoku-ben is spoken in Tōhoku Region, the Northeastern region of Honshū. Toward the northern part of Honshū, Tōhoku-ben can differ so dramatically from standard Japanese that it is sometimes rendered with subtitles. It is considered by some Southern inhabitants of Japan to be a slow and "clumsy" dialect with connotations of dawdling or idleness.

A notable linguistic feature of Tōhoku-ben is its neutralization of the high vowels "i" and "u", so that the words "sushi", "susu" (soot), and "shishi" (lion) are rendered homophonous, where they would have been distinct in other dialects. It is for this reason, in addition to the tendency of Tōhoku dialect speakers to draw out their vowels, that Tōhoku-ben is somewhat pejoratively referred to as "Zūzū-ben".

In addition, all unvoiced stops become voiced intervocalically, rendering the pronunciation of the word "kato" (trained rabbit) as [kado]. However, unlike the high vowel neutralization, this does not result in new homophones, as all voiced stops are pre-nasalized, meaning that the word "kado" (corner) is roughly pronounced [kando]. This is particularly noticeable with the "g" sound, which is nasalized sufficiently that it sounds very much like the English "ng" as in "thing", with the stop of the hard "g" almost entirely lost.

Types of Tōhoku-ben can be broken down geographically:

Tsugaru-ben is reputed to be too divergent from standard Japanese for those who are not native speakers, to the point that even people living in the same prefecture may have trouble understanding it. In 1988, Tsugaru-ben fans proclaimed October 23 to be "Tsugaru-ben Day". October 23 is the anniversary of Kyozo Takagi (a famous Tsugaru-ben poet)'s death. [1]

Kantō Dialect

Kantō-ben has some common features to Tohoku dialect such as "-be" or "-nbe", East Kanto dialect is especially similar to Tohoku dialect. Tokyo and the suburbs' local dialects are steadily declining because standard Japanese has spread in Kanto earlier than other districts.

Types of Kanto dialect include:

Ibaraki-ben is characterized by "dakuten" insertion, effecting a voiced syllable. For example, "byōki", illness, becomes something like "byōgi". Also characteristic of "Ibaraki-ben" in many areas is a decreased distinction between "i" and "e" sounds, so that "iro enpitsu" becomes "ero inpitsu" among many speakers. The final particles "ppe", "be", and "he" are perhaps most well-known. They derive from literary "beshi" (now "beki" in standard Japanese). The pitch accent of Ibaraki dialect is also fairly different from standard Japanese, typically rising at the end of statements and falling in questions.

Tokyo-ben in modern Tokyo is often considered to equate standard Japanese, though in fact Tokyo dialect differs from standard Japanese in a number of areas. Noticeable earmarks of Tokyo dialect include the frequent use of さ ("sa," roughly analogous to "like" as used in American English slang),　じゃん ("jan", a contraction of じゃないか "ja nai ka," "Isn't that right?", "jan" is originally Shizuoka and Kanagawa dialects' word) and つう ("tsuu") in place of と言う ("to iu", "to say -" or "is called -"). It is also not uncommon for Tokyo dialect to change the -いる ("-iru") stem of the present progressive to -ん ("-n"), as in つってんのー　(tsutten nō, "[someone] is saying") versus と言っているのよ (to itte iru no yo) of standard Japanese.

Shitamachi-kotoba or Edo-ben, the fast-fading dialect of old families from Eastern Tokyo called "Shitamachi" ("downtown"), is another example of a Tokyo dialect that differs from standard Japanese. This dialect is primarily known for the inability to pronounce or distinguish some phonemes which are considered wholly distinct in all other Japanese dialects. Most famous is the decreased distinction between "hi" and "shi", so that "hidoi" (terrible) becomes "shidoi", and "shichi" (seven) becomes "hichi". Though it also includes a few distinctive words, today it is largely indistinguishable from the standard speech of Tokyo other than the phonemic difference.

Tōkai-Tōsan Dialect

Tōkai-Tōsan dialect is separated into three groups: Nagano-Yamanashi-Shizuoka, Echigo and Gifu-Aichi.

Nagano-Yamanashi-Shizuoka

  • Nagano-ben or Shinshū-ben
    • Okushin (Northernmost of Nagano)
    • Hokushin (Northern of Nagano)
    • Tōshin (Eastern of Nagano)
    • Chūshin (Center of Nagano)
    • Nanshin (Southern of Nagano)
  • Izu-ben (Eastern of Shizuoka)
  • Shizuoka-ben (Center of Shizuoka)
  • Enshū-ben (Western of Shizuoka)
  • Kōshū-ben (Yamanashi)

Echigo

Echigo is Niigata Prefecture except Sado Island.

  • Niigata-ben (Around of Niigata city)
  • Nagaoka-ben (Center of Niigata)
  • Jōetsu-ben (Wastern of Niigata)
  • Uonuma-ben (Southern of Niigata)

Gifu-Aichi

Western Japanese

The dialects of western Japan have some common features that are markedly different from standard Japanese. Of course, not all dialects in western Japan use these features, but some extend from Kinki to Kyushu, sometimes even Okinawa. Some examples are おる ("oru") instead of いる ("iru"), じゃ ("ja") or や ("ya") instead of だ ("da"), and the negative form ん ("n") as in 行かん ("ikan", don't go) instead of ない ("nai") as in 行かない ("ikanai"). These features are sometimes derived from Old Japanese.

Hokuriku Dialect

Types of Hokuriku dialect:

Toyama-ben is spoken in Toyama Prefecture. Instead of the standard, "shitte imasuka"? or colloquial "shitte iru ka" for "Do you know?" Toyama-ben speakers will say, "shittorukke?" When expressing that something is incorrect instead of saying the standard phrase "iie", Toyama-ben speakers will say "naah" with a rising tone. Other regional distinctions include words like kitokito for fresh and delicious or "ikiiki" for energetic.

The negative past tense in Toyama-ben is formed by adding to the stem of the verb the "nu" suffix, indicating a negative, followed by a "da" indicating the past tense or completed action. "Nu" becomes "n".

Kanazawa-ben is the dialect of Kanazawa, Ishikawa. The most famous Kanazawa-ben phrase is soft imperative suffix -"masshi", means -"nasai" in standard Japanese. This phrase is often used in catch phrases for visiters of Kanazawa, for example, "Kimasshi Kanazawa!" (Come on Kanazawa!).

Fukui-ben is the dialect of the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. Speakers of Fukui-ben tend to talk in an up-and-down, sing-songy manner. It is considered a relatively rural dialect, yet it is not without its own rough, home-spun elegance.

Kinki (Kansai) Dialect

Main article: Kansai dialect

Kansai-ben ([[:ja:関西弁|関西弁]]) is a dialect spoken in the Kansai region. Kansai-ben features a number of regional differences: to draw a broad generalization, Osaka-ben can be considered "brash", Kyoto-ben "lilting" and Kobe-ben "melodious".

Types of Kansai dialect include:

Ōsaka-ben belongs to the Kansai family of dialects. The terminology is confusing, as people often use Kansai-ben interchangeably with Ōsaka-ben. Even those in the know may confuse true Ōsaka-ben with Kansai-ben. Some examples include the usage of で ("de") as a sentence final particle, and あかん ("akan") which means だめ ("dame") or いけない ("ikenai") in standard Japanese.

Kyōto-ben, or Kyō-kotoba, is a soft and melodic Kansai variant. Traditional Kyoto dialect uses "-taharu" or "-teharu" (e.g. "nani shitaharu no?") in its sentence endings, though "-yasu" and "-dosu" are also common. See Kansai-ben for more. To end a verb in "-taharu" is also often considered to be more formal and is almost exclusively used by women. Ending a verb in "-taaru" is said to have the same effect but usable by men, though it is not very common. The equivalent of standard Japanese's "irasshaimase" (いらっしゃいませ) is "oideyasu" (おいでやす) in Kyoto-ben.

Kōbe-ben is notable among Kansai dialects for conjugating the present progressive with the verb ending "-ton" or "-tō". For example, while the phrase "What are you doing?" in standard (and casual) Japanese would be "Nani shite iru?" in Kōbe-ben it would be "Nani shiton?" or "Nani shitō?". Like Ōsaka-ben, Kōbe-ben uses the inflectional ねん ("nen") to add emphasis, such that 何言っているんだよ ("Nani itteirundayo," "What (the heck) are you saying?") of standard Japanese could become 何ゆうとんねん ("Nani yuuton'nen") in Kōbe-ben.

Chūgoku Dialect

Types of Chūgoku dialect include:

Hiroshima-ben is regarded as a very manly sounding dialect [citation needed]. That is to say, tough and hard. Common variations include じゃ ("ja") instead of だ ("da"), の ("no") instead of ね ("ne"), and like Kyushu it uses けん ("ken") instead of から ("kara"). Putting them together, じゃけんの ("jakenno") is often applied to the end of sentences instead of だ ("da"), even though the meaning of じゃけん ("jaken") is literally だから ("dakara").

Yamaguchi-ben contains more yōons and diphthongs compared to other dialects in Japan. Above all, the consonant "ch" is frequently used. ちょる ("choru") is often used instead of ている ("te iru") in standard Japanese, and ちゃ ("cha") is also used instead of the standard だ ("da").

Umpaku Dialect

"Umpaku" means "Izumo (Eastern of Shimane) and Hoki (Western of Tottori)".

Types of Umpaku dialect include:

  • Izumo-ben (Eastern of Shimane)
  • Yonago-ben (Western of Tottori)

Izumo-ben, unique from both southern Shimane's Iwami-ben and Tottori-ben to the east, is a very thick dialect that superficially resembles Tohoku dialects and is thus also called "Zuu zuu ben". The most representative expressions from Izumo-ben include だんだん ("dan-dan") to mean thank you, ちょんぼし　("chonboshi") in place of すこし ("sukoshi") and 晩じまして ("banjimashite") as a greeting used an hour before or after sunset. けん ("ken") is used in place of から ("kara"), even by younger speakers. ごす ("gosu") is used in place of くれる ("kureru") and おる ("oru") is used in non-humble speech as in much of western Japan.

Shikoku Dialect

Types of Shikoku dialect:

Kyūshū

Hōnichi Dialect

"Honichi" means "Buzen (Eastern of Fukuoka and Northern of Oita), Bungo (Southern of Oita) and Hyuga (Miyazaki)".

Types of Hōnichi dialect include:

Miyazaki is most noted for its intonation, which is very different from that of standard Japanese. At times it can even seem to employ the opposite (inverse) pattern of intonation. Miyazaki dialect shares similarities with other Kyūshū dialects such as: と ("to") replacing the question particle か ("ka")

Hichiku Dialect

"Hichiku" means "Hizen (Saga and Nagasaki), Higo (Kumamoto), Chikuzen (Eastern of Fukuoka) and Chikugo (South Fukuoka)"

Types of Hichiku dialect include:

Hakata-ben is the dialect of the Hakata of Fukuoka City. Throughout Japan, Hakata-ben is famous, amongst many other idiosyncrasies, for its use of "-to?" as a question, e.g., "What are you doing?", realized in Standard Japanese as "nani o shite iru no?", is "nan ba shiyotto?" or "nan shitōtō?" in Hakata. Hakata-ben is also being welcomed more often in Fukuoka in areas like television interviews, where standard Japanese is typically expected.

Most other dialects in Kyūshū share much in common with Hakata-ben, but the dialect of Kagoshima is strikingly different from other Kyūshū dialects.

Tsushima-ben is a Kyūshū dialect spoken within the Tsushima Subprefecture of Nagasaki Prefecture. Tsushima dialect is often unintelligible to speakers of standard Japanese, but can be understood by speakers of other Kyūshū dialects. Due to historical reasons and the geographical proximity of Korea, Tsushima-ben has borrowed many words from Korean.

Korean loanwords in Tsushima dialect
Tsushima dialect Korean derivation Standard Japanese English gloss
ヤンバン
yanban 		양반(兩班)
yangban 		大地主
ōjinushi 		Landlord, land-owner
(Note that in Korean yangban is a Korean elite class)
チング, チングィ
chingu, chingui 		친구(親舊)
chingu 		友達
tomodachi 		Friend
トーマンカッタ
tōmankatta 		도망(逃亡)갔다
domang gatta 		夜逃げ
yonige 		Escaping at night (or running from debt)
(Note that the Korean source, domang gatta, is actually a verbal phrase meaning "ran away; escaped")
ハンガチ
hangachi 		한가지
hangaji 		ひとつ
hitotsu 		One (item)
(Note that the Korean word actually means "one kind, one type, a sort (of)")
チョコマン
chokoman 		조그만
jogeuman 		小さい
chiisai 		Small
バッチ
batchi 		바지
baji 		ズボン
zubon 		Pants

Satsugū Dialect

"Satsugū" means "Satsuma (Western of Kagoshima) and Osumi (Eastern of Kagoshima)"

Types of Satsugū dialect include:

  • Satsuma-ben
  • Osumi-ben
  • Morogata (Southwesternmost of Miyazaki)

Satsuma-ben, the dialect of Satsuma area of Kagoshima prefecture, is often called "unintelligible" because of distinct conjugations of words and significantly different vocabulary. As the farthest place from Kyoto, it is likely that divergences in dialect were accumulated in Satsuma making it sound relatively distinct. There are several different dialect regions within Kagoshima prefecture.

There is a story, told both inside and outside Kagoshima, that Kagoshima dialect was consciously and deliberately developed as a way of protecting against spies from other parts of Japan during the Edo period when many samurai noble people lived within Kagoshima and conducted important business within it.

Hachijō Island

Hachijō Dialect

A small group of dialects spoken in Hachijōjima and Aogashima, islands south of Tokyo.

Usually Hachijō Dialect is regarded as an independent "root branch" itself for its unique characteristics, especially the abundance of inherited ancient Japanese features, in spite of its small population.

Ryūkyū

Specialists agree that the speech of the Ryukyu Islands (the islands of Okinawa Prefecture and some of the islands of Kagoshima Prefecture) is not a dialect of the Japanese language; rather, it comprises a separate branch of the Japonic family. In this view, Japonic is split into two groups: Japanese, spoken throughout the Japanese islands, and Ryukyuan, found in the Ryukyu Islands, south of Kyūshū. Even so, there is great diversity within Japanese, and even greater within Ryukyuan, and many native speakers from one area of Japan can find the speech of another area virtually unintelligible. There has also developed in the Ryūkyūs a dialect called Okinawan Japanese which is close to Standard Japanese, but which is influenced by Ryukyuan languages. For example, "deeji" may be said sometimes instead of "taihen", or "haisai" instead of "konnichiwa".

References

Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Japanese/Hougen
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