Panel: Japanese dialects

[Yukako Sunaoshi (FOA ASI)]

Dear Linganth members:

Shigeko Okamoto (California State University-Fresno) and Yukako Sunaoshi
(University of Auckland, New Zealand) are planning to organize a panel for
AAAL (American Association for Applied Linguistics) on The Use of Regional
and Standard Varieties of Japanese in Conversations.
We are looking for studies which, using conversational/discourse analysis,
investigate speakers'  use of dialects and Standard Japanese.

The AAAL meeting will be held 22-25 March, 2003 in Arlington, and the
deadline for proposals (by the Conference organizers) is 26 August. If you
are interested in participating, please email to BOTH of us at:
y.sunaoshi at auckland.ac.nz & shigeko_okamoto at csufresno.edu

The synopsis of the panel is as follows:

It is often noted that Japan has achieved extensive language
standardization in its modern history. At the same time, however, it has
also been pointed out that regional varieties of Japanese have not lost
their vitality, and that many speakers are now bi- dialectal and code-
switch between different varieties of Japanese according to the
situation. However, few studies have analyzed closely actual
conversations carried out by speakers of regional dialects.  It is thus
unclear exactly how and why individual speakers use their regional
dialect and SJ.  The proposed panel attempts to investigate these
questions, employing discourse analysis-a method that has rarely been
employed in Japanese dialectology. Using situated conversational data
from different regions of Japan, the papers examine how specific regional
and standard linguistic expressions are used and what motivates such
uses, or what kinds of social and pragmatic meanings such uses index.

 We look forward to hearing from you.

Yukako

Yukako Sunaoshi, PhD
Lecturer in Japanese
School of Asian Studies
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland, New Zealand
phone:64-9-373-7599 ext.5739
fax: 64-9-373-7411
y.sunaoshi at auckland.ac.nz