Honban dialects

The **Honban dialects** [坎妻丞言; ほんばん・じょうげん], also known as the Honnan dialects, originate in relatively recent settlement from the mainland to the Honnan archipelago in far northern Kanton. Daizō Island (the largest of the archipelago) was settled from a mix of areas, especially the far Honzura regions from prefectures such as Arami and Aoma. Various Kantonese dialects were mixed together on Daizō, integrating with the native Sunpaku language spoken by indigenuous Summui islanders, and thus created the Honban dialects.

The relationship of the Honban dialects to mainland Kantonese - and whether there is even a coherent Honnan dialect - is the subject of debate. There are three main theories:

* There is a single Honban dialect, a distinct branch of Northern Kantonese, with minor differences depending on location
* Inland dialects are 'true' Honban dialects, while coastal varieties are more akin to Honzura dialects
* There are many different dialects under the Honban umbrella, each formed from specific historical circumstances

The latter is usually considered 'correct' in most circles, while the first theory is what was commonly thought up until the mid-20th-century. Honzura influence, particularly that of the Arami dialects, is strongest on coastal areas, especially on Ubune Island and the Torigo Peninsula. These varieties are called *byōgen.* The urban dialects of Daizō are quite close to Standard Kantonese. Mainland features were likely brought by merchants from further south following the north-bound trading routes of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Also spoken on the Honnan archipelago is Sunpaku, which was in wide use there before Kantonese settlement and is still spoken by around 50,000 people.

## Varieties

* Torigo dialect: spoken on the Torigo headland in Zōhai Prefecture;
* Kizō dialect: spoken in southern Zōhai;
* Honzō dialect: spoken in northern Zōhai;
* Honzōmon dialect: spoken around Nasae Bay on the Zōhai side;
* Shimi dialect: spoken on Shimi Island
* Daiuchi dialect: spoken in Uchi Prefecture primarily;
* Kan'uchi dialect: spoken in outer Uchi Prefecture, especially on the west side;
* Harashi Peninsula dialect: spoken on the Harashi Peninsula in northern Uchi;
* Uchimon dialect: spoken around Nasae Bay on the Uchi side;
* Kihata dialect: spoken on Kihata Island;
* Honnaki dialect: spoken in northern Inaki Prefecture;
* Kinaki dialect: spoken in southern Inaki

## Common features

* /j/ coming after /n/ will result in a /hj/ sound. Therefore, the word 言 [genyo, language] becomes /gen.hjo/. This feature is inherited from Hamae speech.
* The dictionary conjugations for verbs and adjectives in Standard Kantonese, -っと and -って, are the present tense forms in the Honban dialects. This can make speakers sound a little uneducated and impolite.
* Intervocalic, beginning and ending /g/ is very likely to become /ŋ/.
* In direct adjectives, the particle of -い changes to -の. E.g. beautiful woman = 亮の女.
* The past tense conjugation of both verbs and adjectives is the same. The copula -く becomes -っくり.
* The present tense copula for adjectives is -ね or -ねえ.
* An ending /a, o/ sound is likely to become /ə/ and reduced much.
* The directional particle -に becomes -ん. For nouns that end with ん-, it becomes -いん. E.g. 画いん去っと = I’m going to the capital. Or, 岩んそぼっくり = I left it in the field.
* The Honban dialects are known for their colourful array of cursewords. Perhaps the most famous is さっきん, meaning ‘damn’, but literally translating to ‘sea anenome’.
* The volitional mood is expressed with the copula -ろうし. This is inherited directly from Sunpaku -ろうしゃん.
* The Honban dialects make use of the ふぁ sound [fa], which is found in Sunpaku, along with つぉ [tso].