Phonological variation of honorific forms in Chugoku Dialects in Japanese
Yuji Kuwamoto (National Institute of Technology, Yonago College)
Abstract
This study examines the evolution of honorific forms in the Chugoku Region,
focusing on their development from Standard Japanese -nasaru and -nasare. In
Tottori, two types of honorific forms, long (-nsaru/-nsai) and short (-naru/-nai),
complement each other. Central-Western Tottori Dialect derives -naru from -nasaru,
showcasing a phonological shift from /s/ to /h/. In Eastern Tottori Dialect, -nsaru/
-nsai forms directly originate from Standard Japanese, with no further derivation due
to phonotactic constraints. Overall, honorific declaratives are prominent in the San’in
Region, while honorific imperatives prevail in the Chugoku Region. The shorter -nai
forms are limited to specific areas. These findings shed light on the diachronic trends
of honorific language in the region.
Keywords
Honorific, Chugoku Region, Tottori Dialect, Phonological shift, Diachronic trends