Matagi dialect

The is a functionally extinct Japanese sociolect spoken by the Matagi people of Akita Prefecture and other areas of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu, Japan. The Matagi dialect is sometimes called .

Matagi contains various unique words relating to hunting, tools, and rituals, many of which are of Ainu origin.

A dictionary of Matagi was published by Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) in 2008.

Vocabulary

Below are some examples of unique Matagi words. Words such as wakka 'water', seta 'dog', and sanpe 'heart' are of Ainu origin.

Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) (2019) notes that many Ainu words in Matagi have undergone semantic shifts:

See also

• Akita dialect
• Tsugaru dialect
• Matagi
• Emishi
• Kyōsuke Kindaichi

References