| Kaga dialect | |
|---|---|
| 加賀弁・加賀方言 | |
 Kaga dialect area. | |
| Native to | Japan |
| Region | Kaga, Ishikawa |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
TheKaga dialect (Japanese: 加賀弁kaga ben) is aJapanese Hokuriku dialect spoken south ofKahoku in the Kaga region (formerlyKaga Province) ofIshikawa Prefecture.
The Kaga dialect is broadly divided into three regional dialects, which include:
According toHaruhiko Kindaichi, thepitch accent of Kaga dialects is considered to be intermediate between the Kyoto and Tokyo standards. Two-mora nouns likeka-ze (風wind) are pronounced flat in both the Tokyo and Kyoto standards, but have a characteristic so-calledkakō (下降) standard tone in Shiramine. When independent of any particles, the first mora is pronounced somewhat higher and the second mora falls slightly (indicated by〇〇 in the table below). When a particle is attached, the second mora is higher and gently falls from the third mora onwards. Second- and third-class two-mora nouns likeya-ma (山mountain) are front-mora stressed and fourth- and fifth-class two-mora nouns likeka-sa (笠conical hat) are unaccented.[1][2] In plain area, however, pitch accent changes depending on the type ofvowel used. For example, in Daishoji, Kaga City, among first-, second- and third-class two-mora nouns, those with aclose vowel (i,u) as their second mora are front-mora stressed and those with anopen vowel (a, e, o) are final-mora stressed.[3] Conversely, among those born in Showa Era Kanazawa, first-, second- and third-class two-mora nouns with avoiced consonant and close vowel (e.g.i-nu 犬 dog) as their second mora are front-mora stressed and those with a consonant and open vowel (e.g.i-ke 池 pond) as their second mora are final-mora stressed. Among the generation born between (mainly) the Meiji Era and the mid-Taisho era, however, first-class nouns are all final-mora stressed, differentiating them from second- and third-class nouns.[4][5] In Kanazawa, fourth- and fifth-class nouns are unaccented. This pitch accent system is also found in the former town ofImajō inFukui Prefecture.
| Word | Shiramine | Daishōji | Kanazawa (old) | Kanazawa (new) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First class nouns | mizu (水water) | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 |
| taki (滝waterfall) | 〇〇 | ||||
| kaze (風wind) | 〇〇 | ||||
| Second and third class nouns | inu (犬dog) | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 |
| yuki (雪snow) | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | |||
| yama (山mountain) | 〇〇 | ||||
| Fourth and fifth class nouns | ame (雨rain) | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 | 〇〇 |
The soft imperative -masshi (〜まっし) can be used in place of -nasai (〜なさいdo ~ ). This is considered an iconic Kanazawa dialect expression. It is a euphonically-changed form of the respect particle -masaru (まさる)'s imperative form, -masare (まされ). Although -masaru is now only heard among the older generation, -masshi continues to be comparatively well used even among the younger generation due to possessing a specific degree of 'softness' not found in other imperative forms in standard Japanese. Save for to the attributive form,-masshi formerly connected directly onto the dictionary form of Godan verbs (Example:ganbaru-masshi (頑張るまっしdo your best)). AfterWorld War II, however, this was influenced by the way -nasai connected to the -masu stem in standard Japanese, so that -masshi also came to connect to Godan verbs in the style of [-masu stem +masshi] (Example:ganbari-masshi (頑張りまっし)). Due to this generational change, some older speakers consider expressions likeganbari-masshi to be improper. The ending of -masshi can sometime change like in -masshi(i) ne (しまっし（い）ね) or -masshima (しまっしま), with the latter having a stronger nuance.
-ne (〜ね), -nema (〜ねま),-(stem form), -ima (〜いま) and -iya (〜 いや) are used in informal imperative expressions. For example:
In the case of ~shine, this means that the second portion of the dialectal equivalent ofhayaku shinasai (早くしなさいねhurry up and do it),hayoshine (はよしね), becomes a homophone with the second part of the vulgarhayakushine (早く死ね literally:'hurry up and die' ). In reality, however, the shine sound is avoided andhayo senkai ne (はよせんかいね) is more commonly said.
Equivalent toda yo (だよ) andno da (のだ), respectively. Among those middle-aged and younger, the informalganya (がんや),gan (がん) andgē (げー) are also spoken, with a further derivative ofgē,gen (げん), being widely used among predominantly the younger generation.Gen is also widely used outside of Kanazawa in areas such as Komatsu.Gan andgen sometimes merge with the sound preceding them. For example:
Kanazawa-unique sentence-ending particles that express emphasis.Jii expresses feelings of unexpectedness or surprise, whilstwē expresses feelings of pride. Althoughjii is still used among young people,wē is slightly negative nuance has led to its decline.Jii is considered to be a modified form ofze (ぜ) whilstwē is thought to be a corruption ofwai (わい) ore (え). For example:
Interrogative sentence-ending particle equivalent tokai (かい) in standard Japanese. Compared toka (か), it displays greater intimacy and kindness, and is widely used by both sexes.Ke often experiencessokuon like inshitokke (しとっけ) (= -shite iru kai? (~しているかい？are you doing ~ ?) andshite kurekke? (してくれっけ？) (= ~shite kureru kai? (〜してくれるかい？can you help me do ~?). In parts of the Kinki Region such asKyoto andOsaka,ke is regarded as a rude, masculine expression, which can lead to misunderstandings between people from Kanazawa and these areas during conversation.
When interacting with customers in hanamachi districts, so-called ‘asobase language' like ino-agari-asobase (お上がりあそばせplease come in )) orirashite-oide-asobase (いらしておいであそばせ) is widely used.Asobase is a phrase borrowed from the imperial court language of Kyoto and is a renowned expression of the traditionalKanazawa kotoba.
First-person pronoun (I ) used by men in Shiramine. When written in Kanji it becomes 儀等. Recently it has experienced euphony and is often pronounced asgyā (ぎゃー). As with the Fukui dialect, in Kuwajima District, it is said asura (うら). Its plural forms aregirara (ぎららwe) andurara (うらら alsowe), respectively.
Second person pronoun (you) used by men in Shiramine. Itse (え) is actually an intermediate sound betweeni ande. Its plural form iswarra (わっらyou (guys)).
Equivalent toohayo gozaimasu (おはようございますgood morning). Theasai (あさい) is a corruption ofasameshi (朝飯breakfast). The expression literally translates toasa-gohan wo o-tabe ni narimashita ka? (朝ごはんをお食べになりましたか?have you eaten breakfast?).
Equivalent tokonbanwa (こんばんはgood evening). It literally meansban-gohan (no jikan) de-gozaimasu (晩御飯（の時間）でございますit’s time for dinner).
Arigatō (ありがとうthank you). Corruption ofyoku shita ne (良くしたねyou did well, didn’t you?). Other variants includeyoshitai yo (よしたいよ) andyōsasshatta (ようさっしゃった).
Equivalent to soshiyō (しよう). Is typically said repeatedly (Hanja hanja (はんじゃはんじゃ)).
Equivalent tosono toori da (その通りだthat's right) .Sō da kedo (そうだけどyes, but...) isshanja keto (しゃんじゃけっと) andsō da kara (そうだからthat’s why...) isshanja-sakai (しゃんじゃさかい).
Equivalent to~ne (～ね sentence-ending particle used to denote agreement and/or add a softer, friendly tone). For example,ano nya- (あのにゃぁ～ hey, so...). It is a distinctive Shiramine dialect feature and it has led to it sometimes being called the ‘nyā-nyā dialect' in Japanese.
-Shite iru (-しているis doing - ).Natte iru (なっているis / has become) becomesnacchoru (なっちょる) in Shiramine.
Attaches to animal names. Is not used in Kumajima District.Inu (いぬdog) =iri-me (いりめ),neko (ねこcat) =nyoko-me (にょこめ),hebi (へびsnake) =hen-me (へんめ),kaeru (かえるfrog) =betto-me (べっとめ), etc.
| English | Standard Japanese | Shiramine dialect |
|---|---|---|
| Goodbye | sayōnara (さようなら) | noino (のいの) |
| Let's do that | sō shiyō (そうしよう) | hanja (はんじゃ)* |
| Could you do ~ for me? | ~kurenai ka (~くれないか) | ~kurenko (～くれんこ) |
| Icicle | tsurara (つらら) | gamadare (がまだれ) |
| Potato | jagaimo (ジァガイモ) | kattsuki (かっつき) |
| Your family | anata no kazoku (あなたの家族) | angya no shū (あんぎゃの衆) |
| Cold (to the touch) | tsumetai (冷たい) | petai (ぺたい) |
| Beautiful | kirei-na (きれいな) | kekkō-na (けっこうな) / utskushii (うつくしい) |