News Update

Tokyo gov't tries cloud seeding to cope with water shortage

● Report: 22 August 2013● water shortage in the Kanto region

○ due to high temperatures this summer● used ground-based cloud seeding device

○ installed in Okutama, Tokyo 50 years ago○ activated last Wednesday○ first time in 12 years○ rain fell about an hour after activation

Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tokyo-govt-tries-cloud-seeding-to-cope-with-water-shortage

Japanese Dialects方言

Dialect● 方言 “hougen” = dialect (1)

● Dialects are called -ben (弁), -kotoba (言葉), or namari (訛り)○ Osaka-ben○ Shitamachi-kotoba○ Tohoku namari

● There are over 100 Japanese dialects (2)

Dialect stereotypes (3)

● Kanto-ben○ Tokyo area○ ‘standard’ Japanese (標準語 hyoujungo)○ flat intonation○ Put ~さ (sa) at the end of every sentence

Dialect stereotypes (3)

● Kansai-ben○ Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe area○ lively and faster (than Kanto)○ charming/funny-obnoxious sound○ used by comedians and TV gangsters

● Sample expressions:○ あかん akan = no good○ まいど maido = thank you○ ぼちぼち bochi-bochi = alright

Dialect stereotypes (3)

● Kyo-kotoba (Kyoto Dialect) (4)

○ beautiful and and elegant○ formal expressions and verb endings

● Sample expressions:○ おいでやす oideyasu = welcome○ なんぼ nanbo = how much?○ おやすみやす oyasumiyasu = good night

Dialect stereotypes (3)

● Tohoku-ben○ Northern Honshu area○ the ‘hardest’ Japanese dialect○ long vowels, change k to g, put n before g○ sounds lazy

Japan by dialect

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Japanese_dialects-en.png

Samples

Tohoku Dialect(1:19)

Kyoto-ben(3:24)

Samples

Osaka-ben(4:31) - 1:30

Kansai-ben(4:43) - 0:50

References1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_dialects2. http://www.japanlinked.com/Know-everything-about-Japan-except/how-

many-dialects-are-there-in-japan.html3. http://blog.japanalicious.com/japanese-dialects.html4. http://japanvisitor.blogspot.com/2008/07/kyoto-dialect.html5. http://www.tofugu.com/2011/07/25/all-you-need-to-know-about-japans-

weirdest-dialect-tohoku-ben/

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