Ibaraki Prefecture language used Ibaraki dialect
Pronunciation
The prefecture is often alternatively pronounced "Ibaragi" by those who speak the regional dialect known as Ibaraki-ben. However, the standard pronunciation is "Ibaraki".  According to the author of "Not Ibaragi, Ibaraki", this is most likely due to a mishearing of the softening of the "k" sound in Ibaraki dialect.
language spoken official language linguistic usage dialect spoken vernacular employed