Characteristics of Dialect Messages During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison with Dialect Messages of Two Past Disasters

Abstract

In areas affected by natural disasters, messages in the local dialect are sometimes used to encourage and inspire disaster victims. This usage is referred to as “dialect ale” or “dialect slogan”. In the disaster areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and the Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016, slogans in dialect such as ‘Keppare! Iwate’ and ‘Ganbaruken! Kumamoto’ were observed (Inoue et al. 2013, Mogi 2019). In the case of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020, dialect-based “ale” and “slogans” have been observed but of a slightly different type to those of the 2011 and 2016 disasters. In this study, we analyzed the similarities and differences between the “dialect ale” and slogans observed in the aftermath of the Great East Japan and the Kumamoto Earthquakes and those of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude that is seems appropriate to distinguish between what can be seen as “ale” and “slogan” based on the meaning of the dialect part of these messages.