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Hokkaido dialects

The , commonly called , originated in the area where people from all over Japan gathered and settled.

Since the Meiji period, immigrants have flowed into the inland areas of Hokkaido, especially from the mixed areas of the Tohoku and Hokuriku regions, resulting in a mixture of various Japanese dialects in Hokkaido.

The relationship of Hokkaidō dialect to the rest of Japanese—and whether there even is a coherent Hokkaidō dialect—are the subject of debate. Shibata (2003) mentions three theories:

  1. Inland varieties are part of the Kantō dialect, while coastal varieties are part of the Tōhoku dialect
  2. There is a single Hokkaidō dialect, which is a distinct branch of Eastern Japanese
  3. There is a Hokkaidō dialect, but it descends from Niigata dialect (one of the Tōkai–Tōsan dialects), a transitional form with Western Japanese features.

Tōhoku influence is strongest in coastal areas, especially on the Oshima Peninsula in the south, where the local variety is commonly called . The urban dialect of Sapporo is quite close to Standard Japanese. Western features may have been brought by merchants from Kansai and Hokuriku following the Kitamaebune ("northern-bound ships") trading route.

The Ainu language is also spoken around Hokkaido. It was widely used before the Japanese settled there in the Meiji period and there are still a few elderly speakers today.

Expressions

  • The -re imperative form for ichidan verbs and s-irregular verb instead of Standard form -ro
  • The volitional and presumptive suffix -be; from Tohoku dialect
  • The presumptive suffix -sho or -ssho; contraction of Standard polite presumptive form deshō
  • tōkibi for "corn" instead of Standard tōmorokoshi; also used in many Japanese dialects
  • shibareru for "to freeze, freezing cold" instead of Standard kogoeru; from Tohoku dialect
  • nageru for "to throw away" instead of Standard suteru; from Tohoku dialect; nageru means "to throw" in Standard
  • waya for "fruitless, no good" instead of Standard dame; from Western Japanese
  • shitakke for casual "good-bye" or "then" instead of Standard (sore) ja
  • namara for "very" instead of Standard totemo; since the 1970s from Niigata dialect

References