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TheTochigi dialect (Japanese: 栃木弁Tochigi-ben) is aJapanese dialect spoken inTochigi prefecture. It is classified along with theIbaraki dialect as an EastKanto dialect, but due to possessing various shared phonological and grammatical features with the neighbouringFukushima dialect to the north, many scholars consider it instead as part of the widerTohoku dialect. It has notable differences within the prefecture depending on region, and in some parts of the southwest of the prefecture (including the cities ofAshikaga andSano) a separate dialect, the Ashikaga dialect, is spoken.
The following are some of the most distinct phonetic characteristics of the dialect.
Excluding the area around Ashikaga City,pitch accent is notably absent from virtually all regions in Tochigi.[1] Rising intonation is also commonly heard.
There is a reduced distinction between いi and えe sounds. For example,iro-enpitsu (いろえんぴつcoloured pencil ) may become eitheriro-inpitsu (いろいんぴつ)、ero-inpitsu (えろいんぴつ) orero-enpitsu (えろえんぴつ).
When located between twovowel sounds,k-,t- andch- sounds becomevoiced (k →g, t →d andch →j (shown in the following table)).[2] Voicing does not occur when the sounds follow a small っtsu or んn, or when the surrounding vowels are unvoiced.[3]
Consonant voicing
Sound
Examples
Sound in standard Japanese
Tochigi dialect form
Standard Japanese
Tochigi dialect
k
g
aki (あきautumn )
agi (あぎ)
t
d
katana (かたなsword)
kadana (かだな)
When located between a vowel and an unvoiced consonant, じji, ずzu, びbi and ぶbu sounds become unvoiced.[3]
Certain contracted sounds lose their contracted element.[4] For example, ぎゅgyu→ぎgi and しゅshu →しshi. Additionally, the sound ゆyu can become いi or えe. For example,yuki (ゆきsnow )→iki (いき),yubi (ゆびfinger )→ibi (いび) orebi (えび), although elderly speakers inHaga District pronounceyu as りri instead[5]
The following are some of the most distinct grammatical characteristics of the dialect.
うu verbs ending with -あう-au lose theiru sound. For example,kau (かうto buy )→ka (か).[6]
Predominantly in the north of the prefecture, the verbshinu (しぬto die ) can becomeshigu (しぐ) orshimu (しむ). Althoughshimu is sometimes heard in the south of the prefecture,shigu is absent.[7]
In regions north ofTochigi City andŌyama City, the directional particle さsa can be used (equivalent to にni or へhe in standard Japanese).[8] In the south of the prefecture, the particle げge can be used to show the target of an action (をwo in standard Japanese).[9]
There is a tendency to insert small っtsu sounds between free-standing and ancillary words.
Politeness is very rarely shown through changing of word form, but rather with gestures, behaviour and nuance in the use of language. Although it is generally uncommon for speakers to use set polite expressions in eastern Japanese dialects (although some like the Tōkyō,Morioka andSendai dialects have developed their own), in Tochigi andIbaraki this tendency is even more striking.
