Variation and Change in Inferential Expressions in Shizuoka Dialect Based on a Large-Scale Survey

Abstract

Shizuoka is located on the border that divides the dialects of Japan into East and West, and the Shizuoka dialect is notable for having a variety of vocabulary and expressions not found in Standard Japanese. Shizuoka dialect uses multiple inferred expressions such as tsura, zura, dara, and ra. The purpose of this study is to conduct a large-scale survey on the use and understanding of Shizuoka dialects, and to estimate what kind of changes have occurred in the past, and predict future change trends by using the analysis methods of Multinomial Regime Switching Model, and Multi-category Order Statistics. The results of this study show that the inferred expression tsura has almost disappeared and that zura has also shown a marked declining trend. The results also suggest that these changes will continue in the future. Furthermore, the use of dara, the inferential expression based on objective evidence, was found to be more common among middle-aged adults. On the other hand, the use of dialectal forms declined among younger age groups, and the same for the inferential expression ra based on speaker judgment.