The Use of Kansai Dialect in Formal Situations

Abstract

To clarify why Kansai dialect is used in public and formal situations although other dialects are not used in such situations, we analyzed the appearance of the more traditional style of Kansai dialect used in the Minutes of the Diet. The results showed that the use of forms of traditional style Kansai dialect, such as -mahen or –masse, has increased in the Minutes of the Diet since the 1970s. This style of Kansai dialect has become recognized as a powerful style of formal Japanese and may have lead to the increased use of Kansai dialect in public situations.