YUKIKO KUSHIBIKI

東北大学が文化庁から委託された「東日本大震災において危機的な状況が危惧される方言の<br /> 実態に関する予備調査研究事業」の報告書の一部としても提出。

It is sometimes the case that after a word formally used in the central dialect of Japan spreads to the surrounding and outer regions, the meaning of the word undergoes a unique semantic change in each region. This paper uses the word ezui to demonstrate differences in semantic development. Ezui was originally used in the central dialect of Keiki (Kyoto and its surroundings) during the medieval era, to express "a fear of an object, to the extent of feeling discomfort." However, after its diffusion to the encompassing regions, the semantic development occurred differently between eastern and western Japan. In the Kanto region, the meaning of ezui developed gradually in the following pattern: "a fear of an object, to the extent of feeling discomfort">"(simply a) feeling of discomfort">"a feeling of difficulty in performing an act">"physical uneasiness." In the Tohoku region, the semantic development of ezui advanced even further, changing from "physical uneasiness" to "mental uneasiness;" this semantic change did not occur in the Kanto region. In western Japan, ezui maintained the original meaning of the central dialect in some areas, but in other areas, it changed into a degree adverb or an attribute adjective. In conclusion, with ezui, the difference in semantic development shows that in the east, the Kanto region greatly influenced in the Tohoku region, and in the west, the different regions developed independently.

東北大学大学院文学研究科 博士学位論文

In standard Japanese, the word ikinari is used as an adverb to express suddenness, (e.g., Kare wa ikinari atozusari-sita. 'He backed away abruptly.') In the Sendai dialect, on the other hand, ikinari can be used as a degree adverb that implies the modal meaning of unexpectedness. (e.g., Ikinari okii. 'much bigger than I expected.') As far as "unexpectedness" is concerned, the case is the same as ikinari in standard Japanese. Because of this similarity, dialect speakers in Sendai cannot distinguish between standard and dialect usages, and younger speakers tend to think that using ikinari as a degree adverb is standard Japanese. The degree adverb ikinari in Sendai is derived by expansion of the meaning of the standard Japanese adverb ikinari. This semantic expansion is very natural, and the adverb can be used as a degree adverb elsewhere, too. There are two reasons why this usage has become particularly common in Sendai ; 1) high prestige of standard Japanese in the area, and 2) the belief that ikinari as a degree adverb is a standard expression. The establishment and spread of the dialectal use of ikinari in the Sendai area is one of the interesting linguistic changes occurring in present-day Japanese dialects.