The is a functionally extinct
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect is a form of language ( non-standard dialect, restricted register) or a set of lexical items used by a socioeconomic class, profession, age group, or other social group.
Sociolects involve both passive acquisit ...
spoken by the
Matagi
The are traditional winter hunters of the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, most famously today in the Ani area in Akita Prefecture, which is known for the Akita dogs. Afterwards, they spread to the Shirakami-Sanchi forest between Akita and ...
people of
Akita Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...
and other areas of the
Tohoku region in northern
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
, Japan. The Matagi dialect is sometimes called .
Matagi contains various unique words relating to hunting, tools, and rituals, many of which are of
Ainu origin.
A dictionary of Matagi was published by Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) in 2008.
Vocabulary
Below are some examples unique Matagi words. Words such as ''wakka'' 'water', ''seta'' 'dog', and ''sanpe'' 'heart' are of
Ainu origin.
Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) (2019) notes that many Ainu words in Matagi have undergone
semantic shift
Semantic change (also semantic shift, semantic progression, semantic development, or semantic drift) is a form of language change regarding the evolution of word usage—usually to the point that the modern meaning is radically different from t ...
s:
See also
*
Akita dialect
*
Tsugaru dialect
The is a Japanese dialect spoken in western Aomori Prefecture.
The Tsugaru dialect is reputed to be so divergent from standard Japanese for those who are not native speakers, that even people living in the same prefecture may have trouble unde ...
*
Matagi
The are traditional winter hunters of the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, most famously today in the Ani area in Akita Prefecture, which is known for the Akita dogs. Afterwards, they spread to the Shirakami-Sanchi forest between Akita and ...
*
Emishi
The were a group of people who lived in parts of northern Honshū in present-day Japan, especially in the Tōhoku region.
The first mention of the Emishi in literature that can be corroborated with outside sources dates to the 5th century AD, ...
*
Kyōsuke Kindaichi
was a Japanese linguist, chiefly known for his dictations of yukar, or sagas of the Ainu people, as well as his study of the Matagi dialect. He is the author of the dictionary '' Meikai Kokugo Jiten''.
Biography
Kindaichi was born in Morioka, ...
References
{{Japanese language
Japanese dialects
Sociolects
Ainu languages
Mixed languages
Culture in Akita Prefecture
Culture in Aomori Prefecture
Extinct languages of Asia