Knowledge base · Part XX — Diachrony, Reconstruction, and Dialectology · this topic as a network
161. Lexical Dialectology and the Dialect Atlas
How does lexical variation across Hokkaido Ainu dialects compare, and what datasets document it?
Isogloss types and geographic distribution
What types of isogloss patterns emerge from mapping lexical variables across Hokkaido Ainu dialects?
In Ishikari and Chitose dialects, 'mother' is called totto instead of hapo, likely to avoid homophonic clash with the terms for 'father' (hampe and hapo). (proposed in Nakagawa 2024: 223) The term for 'father' displays substantial dialect variation across Hokkaido, including mici along the Pacific coast and Bihoro, iyapo in lower Saru, hampe in Ishikari, hapo in Chitose, aca in Soya and Samani, and acapo in Yakumo and Oshamambe. (Nakagawa 2024: 222) The words penup and cape, used as offshore taboo words in the Shiraoi dialect, are ordinary words for 'ikema' and 'cat' in other dialects. (Nakagawa 2024: 532) Depending on the dialect, the forms meaning 'tooth' vary among mimak, nimak, imak, and imah, which derive from a common source. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.2) The kinship term mici 'father' is distributed along the entire Pacific Coast from the Kurils on the east to Horobetsu on the west. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.5)
The eastern–western lexical divide
What lexical features distinguish northeastern from southwestern Hokkaido Ainu dialects, particularly in interrogative and temporal stems?
The verb stem arpa 'to go' is confined to the Hidaka dialect, whereas oman is exclusively used in other regions. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) The verb meaning 'to go' is arpa in the Saru dialect group, but oman in all other dialects. (Nakagawa 2024: 108) The verb resu 'raise' in Southwestern Ainu and reska 'raise' in Northeastern Ainu are dialectal variants. (Bugaeva, Nichols & Bickel 2022) In Eastern Hokkaido dialects, certain kinship terms that take the concept-form construction have fused with kor, resulting in forms like konnarpe 'aunt', koracapo 'uncle', and koruci 'grandmother'. (Nakagawa 2024: 223)
The allative particle as a morphological isogloss
How does the allative postposition vary across Hokkaido Ainu dialects, and how does it correlate with the lexical divide?
The par / car 'mouth' isogloss
What are the dialectal variants for the word 'mouth' in Hokkaido Ainu, and how are they distributed?
The word for 'tongue' retains pa- even in ca- dialect areas as parunpe, and the form carunpe does not exist. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.5) The idiomatic expression sanca or ta mina kane 'to have a smile on one's lips' containing ca 'mouth' is used even in pa- dialect regions. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.5)
Semantic field variation beyond the basic list
What semantic fields beyond basic vocabulary show lexical variation across Hokkaido Ainu dialects, and how are they documented?
The word ihunke means 'lullaby' in some dialect regions. (Ōno 2022: 12.8) The word ihunke means 'to curse someone' in some dialect regions. (Ōno 2022: 12.8) The colloquial word for 'mother' is hapo in most places, but totto in the interior of Mukawa, where elsewhere totto 'breast' is restricted to poetic language when referring to 'mother'. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) In Southwestern Hokkaido colloquial speech, the word for 'father' varies locally: Mukawa has iyapo, Atsuma has hapo, Shiraoi, Horobetsu, and Muroran have michi, and Usu, Abuta, and Toyoura have achipo. (Kindaichi & Chiri 1936) In Chitose Ainu, the two forms papus and patoy are distinguished in meaning, with papus meaning 'a part of the mouth that sticks out' and patoy meaning 'the whole of the lips'. (reported in Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.5) In Chitose Ainu, Anemone flaccida is called ohawkina, while in other regions it is sometimes called pukusakina. (Satō 2008: 108) The noun aha 'Apios fortunei' is called eha in some dialects. (Satō 2008: 123)
Saru–Chitose as a lexically distinct group
What lexical and morphosyntactic innovations distinguish the Saru–Chitose group within southwestern Hokkaido Ainu?
The verb meaning 'to go' is arpa in the Saru and Chitose dialects, but oman in all other dialects. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.2) In most dialects other than Chitose, hápo means 'mother' rather than 'father'. (Satō 2008: 214) The kinship term iyapo 'father' is found in an isolated distribution around the mouth of the Saru River. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.5)
The Sakhalin and Kuril data as comparative evidence
How do Sakhalin and Kuril Ainu lexical data contribute to understanding Hokkaido Ainu dialect variation?
The verb meaning 'come' is ek in all Hokkaido dialects and the regularly corresponding form eh in all Sakhalin dialects. (Nakagawa & Fukazawa 2022: 8.2)