Matagi dialect


The Matagi dialect is a functionally extinct Japanese sociolect spoken by the Matagi people of Akita Prefecture and other areas of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu, Japan. The Matagi dialect is sometimes called Yama-kotoba.
Matagi contains various unique words relating to hunting, tools, and rituals, many of which are of Ainu origin.
A dictionary of Matagi was published by Yoshizo Itabashi in 2008.

Vocabulary

Below are some examples of unique Matagi words. Words such as wakka 'water', seta 'dog', and sanpe 'heart' are of Ainu origin.
English glossJapanese glossMatagi Matagi
water; liquor水・酒わっかwakka
gun; rifle鉄砲・銃するべsurube
bear熊いたずitazu
bear熊なびれnabire
dog犬せたseta
dog犬へだheda
wolf狼おきゃくokyaku
Japanese macaque猿すねsune
Japanese serowカモシカあおけらaokera
Japanese serowカモシカこしまけkoshimake
cattle牛つのからtsunokara
rice 米くさのみkusanomi
Buddhist temple寺くしkushi
heart心臓さんぺsanpe
non-Matagi personマタギでない人せたぎsetagi

Yoshizo Itabashi notes that many Ainu words in Matagi have undergone semantic shifts:
MatagiMeaning in MatagiAinuMeaning in Ainu
kadoweather kantoheaven, sky
magirismall knife, spear makirismall knife
bakkebear head pakehuman or animal head
hiranet for catching bears piracliff
honomedium-sized serow ponosmall
horoa lot porobig
sabeheart, gall of bear or serow sampeheart
heda, seda, setadog setadog
waba, washiavalanche upassnow
wakkawater, liquor wakkawater