Language and vocabulary differences between specific regions of Japan.
17
votes
4answers
1k views
What are the main differences between 京都弁(Kyoto-ben) and 大阪弁(Osaka-ben)
These two dialects will sound very similar to an untrained ear. Can anyone highlight the main differences between these two dialects?
15
votes
3answers
321 views
Can I end sentences with ん?
One friend of mine told me when she was living in Japan, she liked to end her sentences with ん (maybe instead of の).
Examples:
明日学校にいくん？
明日学校に行かないと思う…風邪引いたん。
Actually I've never seen it! But my ...
15
votes
1answer
234 views
is there a difference between さみしい and さびしい？
Both mean "lonely" and appear to be valid readings for 寂しい.
Is there a difference in nuance? Is this difference due to dialect?
12
votes
3answers
512 views
Are there any situations where かしら is considered appropriate/normal for males to use?
かしら is generally considered to be a question particle for use by females; are there any situations or dialects in which it is usable by males? I'm aware that historically, it was used by both male and ...
11
votes
2answers
208 views
Do any of the Japanese particles have different pronunciations in any dialects? Or extra or missing particles?
I was wondering whether the differences in Japanese vocabulary between the dialects extend even so far as particles.
Are there dialects that pronounce any of the standard particles differently? ...
11
votes
5answers
338 views
Except for pitch, what are the differences in pronunciation between Kansaiben and Tokyoben?
I have tried to ask people this type of question on many occasions and the answer is always the same, but people are notoriously bad at evaluating their own language, so I ask here:
Apart for pitch, ...
11
votes
1answer
1k views
What are the stereotypical characteristics of yakuza speech?
When people imitate yakuza speech, what are the major things they do to make it recognizable as such?
If possible, how accurate is this compared to actual yakuza speech?
I've seen mention elsewhere ...
10
votes
2answers
199 views
苦労せん is the contracted form of what?
I'm translating a manga in which one character use a very slangy or contracted way of speaking while the others talk more standard-like.
I've already encountered the stem+ん as a short form the ...
10
votes
2answers
339 views
Do people actually look down on you if you use a regional dialect as a Gaijin?
My brother got on a scholarship to go to university in Japan, he was given a year an half language training and then had to apply to Japanese universities.
I suggested he study in Osaka as I'd ...
10
votes
4answers
451 views
Pronunciation of す in です and the end of ます verbs
I've always been curious about the pronunciation of the す in です and at the end of 〜ます verbs. Most commonly the "u" sound is inaudible, but sometimes by some people it's more pronounced, and some ...
10
votes
2answers
326 views
や in Kansai-ben when it is not だ
The following sentence occurs in The Legend of Zelda:
ナンカ コウテ クレヤ
(This would be なんか買うてくれや！ and was famously translated as "Buy somethin', will ya!".) From the 買うて, it's obvious he's speaking ...
10
votes
1answer
529 views
わ usage at the end of sentences
What is the difference between the "わ" sentence ender used by women in general and the one that is used by both Males and females in the Kansai area?
I've asked my Japanese co-workers about it ...
9
votes
1answer
295 views
Is accent position predictable for -i verbs in Osaka/Kansai?
Background
While I'm not especially confident about the reliability of my sources (Wikipedia (0) (1) (2) and some guys' personal websites), and it's possible that I transcribed some of these wrong, ...
8
votes
2answers
165 views
「ありがとうございや」 - Dialect? Train Station 言葉？
Today as I was transferring trains in Nagoya the station attendant was shouting repeatedly「ありがとうございや」. Doing a search on the internet revealed that this seems to be a shorted form of ありがとうございやした but I ...
8
votes
1answer
281 views
In which dialects have the sounds “ゐ” (wi) and “ゑ” (we) been preserved, and are their kana still occasionally seen?
In Nate Glenn's answer to bdonlan's qestion "Why were ゐ and ゑ eliminated?" he states:
"Wi" and "we" are still in some dialects, but standard Japanese does not have those sounds.
My question is ...
8
votes
2answers
252 views
What dialects use だべ？
I feel like I hear だべ all the time (through TV and on the streets of Yokohama where I live), but I'm wondering about it's origins and modern usage.
8
votes
1answer
134 views
What are the most prominent features of Yamagata-ben?
I'll be visiting Yamagata City soon and would like to ask:
as an armchair linguist what features of the local dialect to look out for?
what are some common words, phrases, pronunciation differences ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
How does the intonation of ありがとう vary between dialects?
I recall in my speaking/listening class last semester in Japan, when we were discussing proper intonation in the standard dialect, that the intonation of ありがとう varied rather widely between dialects ...
6
votes
6answers
568 views
Should I speak in the local dialect and/or accent of an area?
I'm planning to go to Tohoku for at least a week, and Lonely Planet, Wikitravel and TVTropes all mention that Tohoku-ben is a bit different from how Tokyoites would speak. TVTropes also mention that ...
6
votes
3answers
555 views
How many dialects are commonly used today?
Which dialects would one normally encounter when visiting/living in Japan (in popular places like Tokyo, Kyoto and and so on) or reading something produced in Japan?
6
votes
1answer
346 views
the difference between じゃん (jan) and だろう/でしょう (darou/desho)
I would like to know what's the difference of じゃん and だろう／でしょう.
the meaning I know it's similar, but when I should use each of them?
Is it same to say:
これはすごいじゃん！ ＝ これはすごいでしょう！ ＝ これはすごいだろう！
...
6
votes
1answer
167 views
What is the origin of the theatrical intonation used by Tokyo Disneyland's cast members?
When I had the chance to go on a Jungle Cruise at Tokyo Disneyland, I noticed the skipper talked with sprinkles of prolonged vowels and uncommon rising and falling intonation patterns.
Is this ...
5
votes
1answer
173 views
Mukashi-banashi. Do they borrow from other current dialects in addition to older Japanese?
At my schools 日本語クラブ, we studied a 昔話 (舌切り雀）, which like most of the others I've read, had some nonstandard grammatical constructions. I've heard that many of these constructions are archaic forms ...
4
votes
1answer
207 views
Meaning of しやしま as sentence ender
Look at this conversation from Twitter. Do you know what dialect it is?
shohei110h: やっとdead stock手に入りました(´ω`)田舎にはなかなか無くて東京で購入しやしま
mao_sid: おれもど田舎だったから気持ちわかるなぁ。ありがとう。
The part I don't ...
4
votes
3answers
201 views
Is there a dialect where older men refer to themselves as あたし?
I remember reading that there is a dialect in which older men refer to themselves as あたし. It didn't have a feminine connotation, it may have even been a bit rough.
I think I read it on Wikipedia, but ...
4
votes
1answer
163 views
Sites/ways helpful for learning internet/slang lingo? [closed]
As the title says- I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a website used for learning dialects and internet lingo?
3
votes
2answers
431 views
What does やい mean?
Someone ended their sentence with やいな. What dialect is this? What does やい mean? I assume that な means the same thing as in standard Japanese?
Update: the original sentence was 「もう出来あがり？仕事はやいな～」.
3
votes
1answer
110 views
Is the term 舞妓 used in all of Japan, or only in certain dialects?
The English language article on geisha says
Apprentice geisha are called maiko (舞子 or 舞妓), literally "dance
child") or hangyoku (半玉), "half-jewel" (meaning that they are paid
half of the wage ...
3
votes
1answer
131 views
~ろ・~ろも・思うて・~たった in 越後 dialect (新潟弁?)
At the start of this book the family are stated to be from 亀田町{かめだまち}, an area which is now part of 新潟市{にいがたし}, but it's also set historically (1919 at the start of the book). I'm presuming the ...
3
votes
1answer
150 views
Using と to mark a question
I've been working on listening practice again. This time, I'm watching the first episode of an anime series called スケッチブック 〜full color's〜.
In the first episode, a certain character asks three ...
3
votes
1answer
212 views
超 vs めっちゃ + explanation [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Significance of the kanji 「茶」 in the set phrase 「滅茶滅茶 / 目茶目茶」 {めちゃめちゃ}
So, in Kansai they use めっちゃ, and in Kanto 超. But what about the other parts of Japan? And from ...
3
votes
0answers
175 views
Is the pitch data correct in this pdf file intended for learners? [closed]
(If the question is inappropriate here, please direct me to an appropriate site or forum)
In an effort to simplify the acquisition of pitch in L2 learners (ie. myself), I created a pdf document that ...
2
votes
1answer
218 views
やってもた → やってしまった? What is the grammatical rule behind this?
I recently saw 「やってもた」 used in a Japanese conversation, I don't remember the context exactly, it was something like：
久々にやってもた。
After asking my Japanese friend, it turns out to be some kind of ...
2
votes
1answer
54 views
What is the ちょ in こなしてちょ?
I'm playing a video game (Final Fantasy VI), in which a character is reading her lines and stage directions for a play. The stage directions contain the following sentence:
この芝居を間奏の間にこなしてちょ。
...
2
votes
0answers
64 views
What is this colloquial / dialect form? 〜たるけんね
I'm still playing Final Fantasy VI, and I came across this bit of dialogue:
マリアの頭にオモリ
落としたるけんね。
I understand it up to 落とし. Orthros is going to drop the weight on her head! I can't make ...
1
vote
1answer
64 views
Questions on a usage of じゃない
I found this usage of じゃない. Perhaps the translation is too loose in meaning.
A: Is your girlfriend cute?
B: Why wouldn't she be?
A: 君の彼女、かわいい？
B: かわいいに決まってるじゃない。
Does ...
0
votes
3answers
471 views
How to speak in Kansai dialect
For someone who has studied standard Japanese, how hard is it to learn Kansai dialect? Is there a lot to learn, or not much? What are the basic things to learn in order to speak in this dialect? All I ...
