Kesen dialect

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Dr. Harutsugu Yamaura

Kesen (Kesen: ケセン語, Keseng̃ó; Japanese: ケセン語; Kesengo）is a self-declared independent language in Japan. Virtually identical to the Japanese Kesen dialect, Kesen was developed by local language activist and medical doctor Harutsugu Yamaura (山浦玄嗣, Yamaura Harutsugu^?), who provided the language's orthography, dictionary, grammar, and pronunciation rules. Kesen uses two writing systems, the first based on the Latin alphabet, and the second on the Japanese writing system.

Language name

According to Yamaura, Kesen was strongly influenced by the Emishi language. The word Kesen, for instance, comes from the Ainu term kese moy (cove at the south tip) and kese ma (scraped place). Yamaura considered the conventional Japanese kanji for Kesen (気仙^?) an ateji imposed by Yamato Kingdom. Therefore used katakana, a writing system for foreign words, to spell the name (ケセン^?).

Reactions

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The local speech was called Kesen dialect (気仙方言, Kesen hōgen^?) before the works by Yamaura, and still often is. While the Kesen dialect is in common use for speech in Iwate, its usage as a written language started with Yamaura's works. Unlike Ryukyuan languages in Okinawa, the status of Kesen as the dialect, rather than the independent language, is hardly disputed. Some criticize Yamaura for acting like he invented a language, when in fact he merely reclassified a pre-existing dialect. On the other hand, Yamaura did organize Kesen's orthography and grammar, two important elements that differentiate a language from a dialect.

Example

The beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, the fifth chapter.

• Kesen

In Latin alphabet:

Sonadǎdo mo kig'i dér dar tōri, —Managú ni a managû. Ha ní a hǎ— 'te kadarar'er déru. N' dar domó, ora á kadar' té ogu. Warumono ní hamugawú na. Daré ga a sonada á mig̃iri no hottabû hadag'í dara, hindári no hottabú mo dasí-nare.

In Japanese characters:

其方等(そなだァど)も聞(き)いでだ通(とォ)り、「目(まなぐ)にァ目(まなぐ)ゥ。歯(は)にァ歯(は)ァ」って語(かだ)らィでる。んだども、自分(おら)ァ語(かだ)っておぐ。悪者(わるもの)に刃向(はむ)がうな。誰(だれ)がぁ其方(そなだ)ぁ右(みぎり)の頬(ほったぶ)ゥ叩(はで)ァだら、左(ひんだり)の頬(ほったぶ)も出(だ)なれ。

• Japanese (Classical Japanese. wikisource:ja:マタイ伝福音書-第五章 (文語訳))

In Romaji:

"Me ni wa me o, ha ni wa ha o" to ieru koto aru o nanjira kikeri. Saredo ware wa nanjira ni tsugu, ashiki mono ni temukau na. Hito moshi nanji no migi no hō o utaba, hidari o mo muke yo.

In Japanese characters:

「目（め）には目（め）を、齒（は）には齒（は）を」と云（い）へることあるを汝（なんぢ）ら聞（き）けり。されど我（われ）は汝（なんぢ）らに告（つ）ぐ、惡（あ）しき者（もの）に抵抗（てむか）ふな。人（ひと）もし汝（なんぢ）の右（みぎ）の頬（ほゝ）をうたば、左（ひだり）をも向（む）けよ。

• English (wikisource:Bible (King James)/Matthew)

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Further reading

• Harutsugu Yamaura (1986) ケセン語入門 (Kesen-go Nyūmon, The Kesen language introduction). Kyōwa Insatsu Kikaku Center.
• Harutsugu Yamaura (1988) ケセンの詩 (Kesen no Uda, The Kesen songs). Kyōwa Insatsu Kikaku Center.
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2000) ケセン語大辞典 (Kesen-go Daijiten, The Great Kesen Dictionary). Mumyōsha Shuppan. ISBN 4895442411
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2002) ケセン語訳新約聖書(1) マタイによる福音書 (Kesen-go-yaku Shin'yaku Seisho Ichi, Matai ni Yoru Fukuinsho, The New Testament in Kesen Language (1), The Gospel of Matthew), E-Pix Shuppan. ISBN 4901602020
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2003) ケセン語訳新約聖書(2) マルコによる福音書 (Kesen-go-yaku Shin'yaku Seisho Ni, Maruko ni Yoru Fukuinsho, The New Testament in Kesen Language (2), The Gospel of Mark), E-Pix Shuppan. ISBN 4901602047
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2003) ケセン語訳新約聖書(3) ルカによる福音書 (Kesen-go-yaku Shin'yaku Seisho San, Ruka ni Yoru Fukuinsho, The New Testament in Kesen Language (3), The Gospel of Luke), E-Pix Shuppan. ISBN 4901602063
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2004) ケセン語訳新約聖書(4) ヨハネによる福音書 (Kesen-go-yaku Shin'yaku Seisho Yon, Yohane ni Yoru Fukuinsho, The New Testament in Kesen Language (4), The Gospel of John), E-Pix Shuppan. ISBN 4901602071
• Harutsugu Yamaura (2004) ケセン語の世界 (Kesen-go no Sekai, The World of Kesen Language), Meiji Shoin. ISBN 9784625434006

See also

• Japanese dialects

External links

• (Japanese) Harutsugu Yamaura from E-Pix official website.
• (Japanese) The Great Kesen Dictionary from Mumyōsha official website.