Hello everyone! As many know, there are 16 dialect groups in Japan and much variation within the groups themselves. We all wonder why people in Hiroshima say things like うもれる instead of 見えなくなる and why in places such as Miyako, the difference is so great that is in an unintelligible different Japonic language. Some differences are merely caused by palatalization, character substitution, pitch, contractions, vowel change, and evolution paths since the time of the Kyoto court. So, I want us to all pitch in together and discuss all the dialect information we possibly have to make Japanese even more vibrant. My thought has always been that Standard Japanese has been incredibly unfair to the dialects of Japan. Why were some words added and some were not? Of course, it is impossible to have every Japanese person learn all the variations of grammar and what not, but I have always thought that if we would add all of the unique vocab to common knowledge that we would be able to have an even more vibrant literary environment.
じゃー、みなどが思うて?
In short, here is what I'm looking for us to accomplish:
1. Discuss specific dialects in Japanese, all are welcome.
2. Discuss dialect grammar, pitch accents, phonology, and vocabulary.
3. Discuss the history of dialects and show, if you can, why something is what it is.
4. Trade links and resources, please share free sources that are easy to access.
5. Just have fun!
Note: If there are orthographic differences that differ greatly from Standard Japanese, please explain them.