2005 Volume 1 Issue 3 Pages 77-92
This paper examines the process of grammaticalization of the directional case particle -sa, the objective particle -koto/-toko and the past tense marker -teatta used in the Tohoku dialects. The original meaning of the particle -sa is directional, that is, it indicates the direction toward which some directional movement or action proceeds (ex. Tokyo sa iku 'I will go to Tokyo'). However, on the Japan Sea of the Tohoku district, this form has the added meaning of locative (ex. Tsukue no ue sa hon aru 'There is a book on the desk'). In the past, the objective particle -koto/-toko was used only with animate nouns (ex. Taro Jiro toko nagutta 'Taro hit Jiro'), but now, it has extended its grammatical function with inanimate nouns as well (ex. Taro boru toko ketobashita 'Taro kicked a ball') in this same region. The past tense marker -teatta has the continuative aspect in the dialects of the western part of Aomori and the northern part of Akita (ex. nondeatta 'was drinking'), but this aspectual meaning is new. Originally, it signified the completive aspect (ex. iteatta 'someone was there', nondeatta 'drank'). Thus, it was found that on the Japan Sea side of the Tohoku district, these grammatical forms have grammaticalized their functions more than the other regions.
