Banshū dialect

The Banshū dialect (播州弁, Banshū-ben), also called the Harima dialect (播磨弁・方言, Harima-ben/-hōgen), is a Japanese dialect spoken in the Harima region (corresponding to the boundaries of the former Harima Province) of southwestern Hyōgo Prefecture. Although it is included in the Kansai dialect group, it shares much of its vocabulary with Chūgoku group. It can be further subdivided into the Western Banshū dialect (西播方言, Seiban-hōgen) and the Eastern Banshū dialect (東播方言, Tōban-hōgen).

Outline

The Banshū dialect is flanked by the Tajima, Okayama, Tanba, and Settsu dialects, the last two being closely related to the better-known Kyōto and Ōsaka dialects, respectively. In addition, the dialect, spoken between Kobe and Himeji, is distinct from the dialect of the prefectural capital. For this reason, Ryōji Kamata regards the Banshū dialect as the most representative of Hyōgo Prefecture, where Japanese transitions between the Kansai dialect group in the East and the Chūgoku group in the West.

The Banshū dialect's subdivisions correspond well to the various river basins over which it is spoken. In particular, the Western Banshū dialect area comprises the Ibo River basin and the cities of Tatsuno, Aioi, Akō, and Shisō and the towns of Taishi (Ibo District), Kamigōri (Akō District), and Sayō (Sayō) on the Chikusa River basin, and the Eastern Banshū dialect area comprises the basins of the Kako, Ichi, and Yumesaki Rivers. Although Himeji City is generally considered part the Western Banshū (geopolitical) area (see for example Harima Province#Modern usage), its dialect is best classed with the Eastern Banshū group. Owing to the increased economic intercourse between the coastal region of the Eastern Banshū (geopolitical) area and the Osaka area, as well as the former's consequential urbanization and industrialization (see Coast of Harima Industrial Area), the coastal Eastern Banshū dialects have been influenced by the Osaka dialect.

The Funasaka Pass that marks part of the boundary between Hyōgo and Okayama Prefectures also marks the furthest Western extent of the Western Banshū dialect group, and upon crossing over the pass, one encounters the Okayama dialect of the Chūgoku dialect group. However, the zone of contact between the Okayama dialect and the aforementioned dialects of the City of Akō and of the towns of Kamigōri and Sayō has some distinctive features (as a result of dialect mixture). The Banshū area is also in contact with Awaji Island across the Akashi Strait, but that island's Awaji dialect shares common features instead with such dialects as the Kishū and Awa dialects, and is quite distinct from the Banshū dialect.