Interplay of Phonological, Morphological, and Lexical Variation: Adjectives in Japanese Dialects

Fukushima Fukushima

doi:10.3390/languages4020031

Abstract

This paper examines the interplay of phonological, morphological, and lexical variation focusing on adjectives in Japanese dialects. Previous studies of adjectives in the Niigata dialects of the Japanese language analyzed the ongoing changes in dialectal variation amongst the young generation of Japanese. In this paper, the data derived from the geolinguistic survey and dialect dictionaries are used to verify the estimated changes in phonological, morphological, and lexical variation. The variation of adjectives is examined by classifying forms with regard to the distinction between standard/dialectal forms. The phonological types of adjectives played a role in the interpretation of the phonological variation and change. Most changes of phonological types are phonologically explained but include change by analogy. The lexical variation is intertwined with phonological variation and morphological variation. The morphological distributions which vary according to the conjugation form are one example of lexical diffusion.

Highlights

The geolinguistic approach is useful to examine the variation and change of areal dialects.Linguistic maps or dialect maps are “visualizations of linguistic features or, more generally, of feature-based areal structures” (Rabanus 2018, p. 348)
This paper aims to examine the interplay of phonological, morphological, and lexical variation of adjectives in Japanese dialects
Fukushima (2006) analyzed the variation of adjectives in the Niigata dialects with the focus on lexical variation, and Fukushima (2018a) with the focus on phonological variation

Summary

Introduction

The geolinguistic approach is useful to examine the variation and change of areal dialects.Linguistic maps or dialect maps are “visualizations of linguistic features or, more generally, of feature-based areal structures” (Rabanus 2018, p. 348). The geolinguistic approach is useful to examine the variation and change of areal dialects. Linguistic maps or dialect maps are “visualizations of linguistic features or, more generally, of feature-based areal structures” This paper aims to examine the interplay of phonological, morphological, and lexical variation of adjectives in Japanese dialects. Fukushima (2006) analyzed the variation of adjectives in the Niigata dialects with the focus on lexical variation, and Fukushima (2018a) with the focus on phonological variation. Both analyzed the ongoing changes happening in dialectal variation of the young generation. The data derived from the geolinguistic survey and dialect dictionaries are used to verify the estimated course of change

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion