ついつい誰かに話したくなってしまう日本のこと。
今回は日本語をフカボリ！『方言』を説明してみましょう。

まずはKey Words & Phrasesから。

テーマに関連する語句

dialect（方言）　
racially homegeneous（単一民族の）
regional dialect（地域方言）
accent（アクセント・訛り）
vovabulary （語彙・言葉遣い）
intonation（抑揚）
standard language / standard Japanese（標準語）　
nation-state（国民国家）

一般的な語句

even though（～であるけれども）
wide range of （さまざまな・多様な）
dozens of（数十の・多数の）
vanish（消える・消滅する）
it is wise to（～しておくのは賢明だ）
preserve（保つ・失わないようにする）
pass on to（～に伝える・つなぐ）
future generation（次世代）
markedly（著しく）
nationwide broadcast（全国放送）
historically speaking（歴史的に言えば）
intend to（～を目的とする）

続いて、今回のテーマに挑戦！

Did you know the Japanese language has many dialects?
（日本語には多くの方言があることを知ってましたか？）

・Even though Japan is known as a racially homogeneous country and a single language is used, a wide range of dialects are spoken throughout the nation.
・It is said that dozens of regional dialects exist in Japan, and each dialect has a different accent, vocabulary and intonation from the standard Japanese.
・Dialect could be considered as one of the valuable cultures, however, some of them are vanishing with time.
・Considering the importance of tradition and regional culture, it may be wise to preserve and pass its history on to future generations.

3 Questions for Digging Deeper! 《 もっと掘り下げてみよう！ 》

1. Is it difficult for a person who is unfamiliar with a dialect to understand the local language?
（方言に馴染みのない人が地域の言葉を理解するのは難しいの？）

It could be difficult to understand when listening to someone with an unfamiliar dialect, but certain dialects are widely known and well understood. For example, the “Kansai” dialect markedly differs from the standard Japanese in terms of the accent, intonation and vocabulary but many people would understand the language as it is often used in TV shows.

2. Why are some of the dialects vanishing?
（いつくかの方言が消滅しつつある原因は？）

There are probably multiple reasons, and one possible factor would be the expansion of mass media such as TV shows, radio and movies. In many cases, the standard Japanese is spoken in nationwide broadcast programs, and people can be influenced by the language used in such shows.

3. Incidentally, what is the standard Japanese?
（ちなみに日本語の標準語とは？）

Historically speaking, there was no “standard Japanese” and the language spoken in the center of politics, economics and culture of the time was considered as the standard Japanese. The current standard Japanese is said to be formed around 1900. Although many people speak different dialects, standard Japanese is a common, nation-state language.

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各方言や自分の出身地域の言葉についても特徴を説明できると、さらに会話も弾みそうですね。

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BBTオンライン英会話はポイント制で、 受講ペースと4つのコースの組み合わせは自由自在です。