ABSTRACT

Japanese dialects are a rich source of topics in phonology, morphology, and grammar, as well as many sub-areas of linguistics. Such regional variety will continue to be an excellent testing ground for any theoretical and typological generalizations made in studies on the Japanese language, which have so far been heavily based on Standard Japanese (ModJ). Among the various Japanese dialects, this chapter focuses on two dialects in the main islands of Japan. One of them is the dialect of Tsuruoka, located in Yamagata prefecture in the Tohoku region, while the other one is Ei, which is located in Kagoshima prefecture, the southernmost prefecture in the Kyūshū region. 1