1. Pronunciation

• (1) “Shi” sounds like “su.”
• (2) The sounds “ka, ki, ku, ke, ko” and “ta, chi, tsu, te, to” are heard as “ga, gi, gu, ge, go” and “da, ji, zu, de, do,” respectively.
• (3) “Ki” sounds like “chi.”

2. Grammar

• (1) “... sa” (meaning “to” in standard Japanese)
• (2) “... pe/... ppe” (meaning “would ...(guess)” and “will ... (will)”)
• (3) “... kko” (an endearing term used for naming small things around us)

3. Words easily mistaken

• (1) “nageru” (used for “throw away” but means “throw” in standard Japanese)
• (2) “dakara/hondakara” (“that’s right”; “because” in standard Japanese)
• (3) “kowai/kowe” (“tired”; “scared” in standard Japanese)
• (4) “waganne” (“I can’t do it”; “I can’t understand” in standard Japanese)

Let’s use these words! “Recommended Kesennuma speech”:

• - Good evening: “Obandesu”
• - Goodbye: “Sainah,” “Matadain,” and “Osuzukani”
• - That’s right: “Hodegasu”

When showing a diagram of the human body, the following words indicate “illnesses and feelings”:

• “ambea” (healthy)
• “sabuki” (cough)
• “harapiri” (acute diarrhea)
• “fukesame” (frequent change in symptoms)
• “kozasu” (to aggravate an illness)
• “sukkoguru” (to graze your skin)
• “izui” (to feel strange)
• “haka haka” (to run out of breath)
• “afura afura” (to feel woozy and ill)
• “nedasorane” (could not get a good night’s sleep (with all the noise)
• “seraserasuru (seserapoi)” (to have a scratchy throat)

As described in the message, the brochure was compiled so that outside supporters and the local people could communicate smoothly with each other and have a comfortable and pleasant relationship. In view of the devastation in the Kesennuma area that might have lead regional collapse, this measure was a practical tool to “save the disaster-stricken area and its supporters through understanding of the local dialect.”

At present, although this is the only book published by the Center for the Study of Dialectology, the dialect spoken in Kesennuma share some similarities with the dialects spoken in other areas of the Tohoku region, and is also similar to the dialect spoken along the southern coast of Iwate Prefecture as well as Miyagi Prefecture. Therefore, this book can be used for the dialects in a wider area.

Recently, the Kesennuma City Government requested more books from our laboratory, so we provided them with the necessary number of books out of our remaining stock.

The dialect used in the Tohoku region became famous throughout Japan because of the popularity of the TV drama “Ama-chan” in which the dialect is used.

In the drama, the interjection “jeje,” which was said whenever characters were surprised, impressed, or wanted to emphasize something, was a new and fresh sound to the audience, leading to its popularity.

This “jeje” is from the dialect spoken in northern Iwate Prefecture to the coastal area of southern Aomori Prefecture. From central Iwate Prefecture where Morioka is located to the inland area of southern Aomori, the word changes to “jaja,” and from the southern part of Iwate Prefecture to the Oshika Peninsula, it changes to “baba.” Across the Ou Mountain Range in Akita Prefecture, people use “ba.” The term “ba” is a corrupted form of “aba,” which originated from mono no aware (pathos and impermanence of things).

Because “Introduction to the Kesennuma Dialect” is focused on the dialect used in daily activities in disaster-stricken Kesennuma, interjections and onomatopoeia are omitted. However, in dialect studies, interjections and onomatopoeia are as important as nouns, verbs, and adjectives for showing differences in dialects.

The dialects in the Tohoku region can be aptly characterized as “a culture of sound and voice.” Compared with other areas in Japan, these dialects excel in expressing people’s feelings, describing what they are looking at, or what they are currently feeling by realistically using interjections and onomatopoeia. This is why you can hear many kinds of interjections and onomatopoeia in Tohoku.