Mikei dialect

The Mikei dialect [妙容丞言; みけい じょうげん], is a dialect spoken in southern Mikei Prefecture in the Honzura region. Generally, the Mikei dialect is seen as a rather elegant and polite dialect, surprisingly different from other northern forms, though it does retain a certain informality. It is very similar in vocabulary and phonetics to the Meisai dialect, spoken in the eastern portion of the same prefecture. The Mikei vernacular is also closely linked to the Tōryū dialect, which it has informed greatly over the centuries.
== Features ==
* Vowels are much less rounded and full, with a lesser emphasis given to /o/. In fact, in some words /o/ can sound more like /ɑ/. Additionally, /e/ and /i/ can sometimes be confused, with the diphthong /ei/ sounding closer to /ɪ:/. E.g. jōgen [dialect, /jo:gen/ becomes closer to /jɑ:gɪn/.
* Combinations /ai, ae/ [あい、あえ] are much less pronounced in Mikei and will often merge into ああ、ええ instead. For example: 戉っと [なあっと] instead of standard ないっと and 前 [めえ] instead of standard まえ.
* Present tense verb conjugation becomes -たの. Past tense becomes -くの, and future changes into -きがい.
* Direct adjectives will not often be followed by -い, but instead -え or -えい. In southern Mikei it is more common to hear -れ.
* The prohibitive mood is by far the most polite out of all the northern dialects, to the ears of Standard speakers. Sentences are suffixed by -のそう. Some Mikei speakers will even add the Standard politeness particle -しま.
* The imperative mood is expressed by adding the copula -じゃう, or slightly more politely, -じょうり. Again, some may add -しま.
* The direct verbal adjective is expressed by changing the standard -だ particle to -れ.
* When using a conjugative tense, it is common for Mikei speakers to add the sound -え to the end of the tense copula. E.g. のくのえ = I drank.
== Common vocabulary ==
* なね - I, me [female]
* なん - I, me [male]
* のん - you [neutral]
* はす - yes, right
* ぽんに - alright, OK, fine
* しし - thanks
* ぬり - cool, sexy, nice, fine, good, excellent, hot, stylish
* の - to drink, drinking
* げえに - welcome, come in, come on
* どしょう - goodbye
* じげい - hi, hey, hello
Category:Dialects