dialect in Ghost Hound

[alltom]

I don't know the name for the dialect(s?) used in Ghost Hound, but I remember that I was taught bits of it in the various Japanese classes I've been in. So I recognize 〜とる as 〜ている and probably a little more without realizing it... but I don't know what the 「どうげん」 that keeps popping up is. For example, in the episode I'm watching:

「僕はこれからケイさんへ行くばってんが、
マコトは、どうげんすと？」

Actually, the first half is a little puzzling too. Could somebody please help break this sentence down?

By the way, this show is awesome, and the Shinsen subs are great!

[zakojanai]

I haven't seen the show, and I'm not really sure about the context but I think it means "I'm gonna go (see) Kei but what are you gonna do, Makoto?" (I'm assuming the speaker is talking to Makoto) Does this translation make sense in the context?　In standard Japanese, I think this sentence might look like this:　僕はこれからケイさんへ行くけど、マコトはどうするの？

Anyway, it's definitely a Kyushu dialect. It looks like Fukuoka, but I guess it could be Saga or Nagasaki. The どげん(I think it's probably a short, not a long vowel) means something similar to どう. The と　is a question marker equivalent to か. And す is probably a shortened form of する.

I'm not really sure about ばってん. According to the Hakata-ben online dictionary it means が, but that would seem to make the が in the sentence redundant. Maybe that's just how it's used.

Maybe Hiroko can help us out on this.

[gerald_ford]

They had a JPod lesson once on Nagasaki dialect which sounds like what you're describing. You can listen to that and see if it sounds similar.

[alltom]

I haven't seen the show, and I'm not really sure about the context but I think it means "I'm gonna go (see) Kei but what are you gonna do, Makoto?" (I'm assuming the speaker is talking to Makoto) Does this translation make sense in the context?　In standard Japanese, I think this sentence might look like this:　僕はこれからケイさんへ行くけど、マコトはどうするの

Oh wow, I forgot to include a translation. Yeah, that's exactly what I think he's saying.

Anyway, it's definitely a Kyushu dialect. It looks like Fukuoka, but I guess could be Saga or Nagasaki. The どげん(I think it's probably a short, not a long vowel) means something similar to どう. The と　is a question marker equivalent to か. And す is probably a shortened form of する.

I'm not really sure about ばってん. According to the Hakata-ben online dictionary it means が, but that would seem to make the が in the sentence redundant. Maybe that's just how it's used.

Maybe Hiroko can help us out on this.

They are in Kyushu, in a country town called Suiten. Thank you for your explanations! It hadn't occurred to me that there could be a dialect where words got longer and I just had to ignore the extra syllables!

They had a JPod lesson once on Nagasaki dialect which sounds like what you're describing. You can listen to that and see if it sounds similar.

Thanks! I think I found the episode you're describing. I would definitely listen (if I had a subscription... ...)

[zakojanai]

After watching an episode and doing a little googling, I definitely think it's supposed to be a Fukuoka dialect. I lived in Kyushu for almost four years, the first of which was in Fukuoka and I recognize a lot of their dialectical idiosyncrasies in the way the characters talk. I didn't find any real towns named Suiten (I didn't look very hard), but I did find out there is a shrine in Kurume, a city in Fukuoka-ken, called Suiten. That shrine has branches throughout the country.(Suiten-gu on Wikipedia). Fukuoka's dialect is pretty well know throughout the country anyway, so it makes sense that the show would be done in Fukuoka-ben rather than a more obscure dialect.

However, the dialectical map of Japan doesn't breakdown exactly along prefectural borders. Parts of Saga and Nagasaki have a dialect very similar to southern Fukuoka, while northern Fukuoka (the area around Kitakyushu) has a dialect more similar to northern Oita. I don't have any sources to back this up, but I would bet that dialects break down more along the old Han borders than the current prefecture borders.

And don't worry about どげん. I always thought it was どうげん until I looked it up today. It's not something you see written down very often.

Anyway, thanks for bringing this show to my attention. It's very slow burning, but I like the atmospherics. And it's good Kyushu-ben practice. Maybe it'll help me understand what the heck my fiance's grandmother is saying.

[alltom]

After watching an episode and doing a little googling, I definitely think it's supposed to be a Fukuoka dialect. I lived in Kyushu for almost four years, the first of which was in Fukuoka and I recognize a lot of their dialectical idiosyncrasies in the way the characters talk. I didn't find any real towns named Suiten (I didn't look very hard), but I did find out there is a shrine in Kurume, a city in Fukuoka-ken, called Suiten. That shrine has branches throughout the country.(Suiten-gu on Wikipedia). Fukuoka's dialect is pretty well know throughout the country anyway, so it makes sense that the show would be done in Fukuoka-ben rather than a more obscure dialect.

However, the dialectical map of Japan doesn't breakdown exactly along prefectural borders. Parts of Saga and Nagasaki have a dialect very similar to southern Fukuoka, while northern Fukuoka (the area around Kitakyushu) has a dialect more similar to northern Oita. I don't have any sources to back this up, but I would bet that dialects break down more along the old Han borders than the current prefecture borders.

And don't worry about どげん. I always thought it was どうげん until I looked it up today. It's not something you see written down very often.

Anyway, thanks for bringing this show to my attention. It's very slow burning, but I like the atmospherics. And it's good Kyushu-ben practice. Maybe it'll help me understand what the heck my fiance's grandmother is saying.

Thanks again, this is very interesting stuff.

Can I ask how you looked up どげん？ WWWJDIC doesn't have it, and that's my main go-to.

[zakojanai]

Non-Kansai-ben dialects are wwwjdic's biggest weak point. Anyway, I actually have a couple of books on Fukuoka's dialect and that's what I used. One is a dictionary divided into the three dialect regions of Fukuoka prefecture. The other is a conversation book for Hakata-ben. If you're interested, I can send you the isbn numbers so you can find them on amazon.co.jp. If not, then this website should do for all your Hakata-ben needs. http://bjkoro.net/hakata/
It's all in Japanese, but you seem capable of handling it.
Anyway, I hope you can try out your Kyushu-ben one day. Kyushu has the best ramen, the best hot springs, and the best looking girls. If you ever get chance, you should check it out.

[alltom]

I spent a semester in Fukuoka two years ago, and while I completely wasted the time in almost every way, I did enjoy the ramen and Beppu's hot springs.