Analyzing the Usage Range and Historical Changes of Imperative Forms in Gokayama Dialect

Abstract

Imperative forms are the strongest, most direct forms of directive expression in both standard and non-standard variations of Japanese. Restrictions on how these forms are used exist and can be explained in relation to social structure and social relationships. This paper discusses the use of directives in Gokayama dialect, an area known to have retained a traditional honorific system until the 1970s, and examines the use of imperative forms—that is, who they can be used towards and in what function, using data from sociolinguistic interviews conducted between 2009 and 2012. The analysis revealed that: (i) the traditional system of using local dialect imperative forms that included honorific imperatives, was based on hierarchical social relationships and remained until the 1970s, and (ii) in the 1980s, this system weakened and evolved into a system based more on interpersonal and situational factors. This shift is closely connected to wide-ranging changes in local and national social structure. Therefore, this recent change in the use of imperative forms in Gokayama dialect can be seen as an example of the general historical change in Japanese directives.