Aoma dialect

The Aoma dialect [碧岩丞言; あおま じょうげん] is spoken primarily and almost exclusively in Aoma Prefecture, in the far north of Kanton. It is widely considered by native speakers to be the most informal, rustic and ‘unrefined’ dialect in the country, and often has connotations of backwardness and naivety, although Aomans are also thought to be very warm people generally. Unfortunately in most media [especially comedy] they are often portrayed as well-meaning, bumbling and rather idiotic types who have few manners or knowledge of proper etiquette.
The Aoma speech shares similarities with other northern dialects. Perhaps its closest relative is the Hamae dialect.
== Varieties ==
The Aoma dialect is split into two main varieties: the Funagi dialect, which has a harsher tone and is spoken primarily on and around the Funagi peninsula, and the Aoma-heiba dialect, which is more common and spoken throughout the prefecture at large. The latter also has a number of subtypes depending on specific regions.
== Features ==
* - Vowels are drawn-out noticeably. However, in words which have a vowel followed by a /n/, the vowel becomes reduced considerably, and emphasis is placed on the /n/ instead. There is also some aspiration. For example: 丞言 [jōgen, dialect] would become /jo:ogənuh/.
* - Vowel diphthongs [e.g. ai, ae, ei] are especially drawn out, with a greater emphasis on the last sound. A Standard speaker would pronounce 遥者 [saisa, celebrity] as /sai.sa/. An Aoman would pronounce this word as /sa:i:sə/.
* - /m/ and /b/ are likely to get mixed up and switched around, often at random, though rarely at the beginning of words.
* - The standard polite negative conjugation, -さん, becomes -ごない.
* - In direct adjectives, the particle of -い changes to -の. E.g. beautiful woman = 亮の女.
* - Combinations of /n/ and /m/ side-by-side in a word will result in a merged /m/ sound. For example: 電槇 [でんまき] becomes でっまき.
* - The prohibitive mood changes from -かせん to -がん /ga:nuh/.
* - The imperative mood also changes slightly. From Standard -ようせん it becomes -よしい.
* - Intervocalic /g/ is very likely to become /ŋ/.
* - Intervocalic /z/ is very likely to become heavily aspirated /s/.
* - Questions are marked by the particle -なあ.
== Common vocabulary ==
* なあう - I, me [neutral]
* ぼう - you [neutral]
* めっちゃ - nice, agreeable, good
* とうつう - difficult, hard, labourious [this word has recently entered in Standard slang, and is often used by non-Aoman young people]
* ぼとん - friend, companion
* がっさ - but, however
* だん - field, pasture
* ねえぎ - money
* たば - to eat
* おっそい - cold
* ぬれえ - warm
* そうぐに - countryside
* どて - very, really