Matagi dialect
The Matagi dialect (マタギ言葉, Matagi kotoba) is a functionally extinct Japanese sociolect spoken by the Matagi people of Akita Prefecture and other areas of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu, Japan. The Matagi dialect is sometimes called Yama-kotoba (山言葉; lit. 'mountain words'). 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.
| Matagi dialect | |
|---|---|
| マタギ | |
| Native to | Japan |
| Region | Akita, Aomori |
| Extinct | 2021[1] |
Japonic
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
The Matagi dialect (マタギ言葉, Matagi kotoba) is a functionally extinct[1] Japanese sociolect spoken by the Matagi people of Akita Prefecture and other areas of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu, Japan. The Matagi dialect is sometimes called Yama-kotoba (山言葉; lit. 'mountain words').
Matagi contains various unique words relating to hunting, tools, and rituals, many of which are of Ainu origin.[1][2]
A dictionary of Matagi was published by Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) in 2008.[3]
Vocabulary
[edit]Below are some examples of unique Matagi words. Words such as wakka 'water', seta 'dog', and sanpe 'heart' are of Ainu origin.[4]
| English gloss | Japanese gloss | Matagi (hiragana) | Matagi (romanized) |
|---|---|---|---|
| water; liquor | 水・酒 | わっか | wakka |
| gun; rifle | 鉄砲・銃 | するべ | surube |
| bear | 熊 | いたず | itazu |
| bear | 熊 | なびれ | nabire |
| dog | 犬 | せた | seta |
| dog | 犬 | へだ | heda |
| wolf | 狼 | おきゃく | okyaku |
| Japanese macaque | 猿 | すね | sune |
| Japanese serow | カモシカ | あおけら | aokera |
| Japanese serow | カモシカ | こしまけ | koshimake |
| cattle | 牛 | つのから | tsunokara |
| rice (uncooked) | 米 | くさのみ | kusanomi |
| Buddhist temple | 寺 | くし | kushi |
| heart | 心臓 | さんぺ | sanpe |
| non-Matagi person | マタギでない人 | せたぎ | setagi |
Yoshizo Itabashi (板橋義三) (2019) notes that many Ainu words in Matagi have undergone semantic shifts:[5]
| Matagi | Meaning in Matagi | Ainu | Meaning in Ainu |
|---|---|---|---|
| kado | weather (天候) | kanto | heaven, sky (天、空) |
| magiri | small knife, spear (小刀、槍) | makiri | small knife (小刀) |
| bakke | bear head (熊の頭) | pake | human or animal head (人の頭、動物の頭) |
| hira | net for catching bears (ケン網という熊を捕まえる網) | sirar | cliff (崖) |
| hono | medium-sized serow (中型のカモシカ) | pon | small (小さい) |
| horo | a lot (たくさん) | poro | big (大きい) |
| sa(n)pe | heart, gall of bear or serow (熊やカモシカの心臓、胆) | sampe | heart (心臓) |
| heda, seda, seta | dog (犬) | seta | dog (犬) |
| wa(n)ba, washi | avalanche (雪崩) | upas | snow (雪) |
| wakka | water (水), liquor (酒) (as part of compounds) | wakka | water (水) |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Itabashi, Yoshizo (2021). "The Origin and History of the Extinct Contact-Induced Language, Matagi". Advances in Religious and Cultural Studies. IGI Global. pp. 245–264. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-2959-1.ch011. ISBN 978-1-7998-2959-1.
- ^ Versluis, Mirjam (2014). The Matagi language and its relation to the Ainu and Japanese languages (MA thesis). Leiden University. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Itabashi, Yoshizo (2008). マタギ語辞典 (A Dictionary of the Matagi Language) (in Japanese). 東京: 現代図書 (Gendai Tosho). ISBN 978-4-434-11304-8.
- ^ "マタギことば・やまことば". gari2.tuzikaze.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ 板橋義三 (2019). "マタギ語とアイヌ語の言語接触とマタギ語の起源と歴史" (PDF). 東洋文化講座一〇〇回記念講演「東アジアにおける危機言語」 (in Japanese).