Yamagata dialect

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yamagata dialect
Murayama dialect
Native toJapan
RegionYamagata
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottologyama1262
IETFja-u-sd-jp06

The Yamagata dialect (山形弁, Yamagata-ben) is the local dialect spoken in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.[1][2] It is a form of Tōhoku-ben, and can be broken down into sub-regional branches that vary from area to area within Yamagata. Dialects in Yamagata Prefecture are roughly divided into two types: Inland and Shonai (coastal).

Yamagata-ben was used for comic effect in the Japanese film Swing Girls, 2004, to suggest that the film was set in a rural, 'backward' location. However, some Yamagata residents feel that the film used the dialect in an unnatural and patronising way. The dialect has also had Japan-wide exposure through Daniel Kahl, an American who has made a TV career as the gaijin talent who can speak fluent Yamagata-ben.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Asahi, Yoshiyuki; Usami, Mayumi; Inoue, Fumio (2022-04-04). Handbook of Japanese Sociolinguistics. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 643. ISBN 978-1-5015-0147-0.
  2. ^ Kageyama, Taro; Jacobsen, Wesley M. (2016-07-25). Transitivity and Valency Alternations: Studies on Japanese and Beyond. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. p. 188. ISBN 978-3-11-047715-3.