So, I am staying with a host family somewhere in Shikoku right now as an exchange student with my high school. I really thought I knew Japanese. A few days ago, I was in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. In all those places, I felt pretty confident that I understood what was being said. During a Japanese-only bus tour, I didn't get every word, but understood the idea. And I could communicate when I needed to ask questions and such.
But now, I'm in a very small town in Shikoku. And I barely understand anything! My Japanese is terrible, I realized! But then, I also realized they must be speaking a different dialect. 「行っけん」 my host mother said when I tried to cross the road. My brain just flopped for a bit. 行けない？ Yesterday, I asked if they were speaking in Iyoben. My host mother said no, this is Ikataben. My host sister said, no, this is Ehimeben. I guess they're both the same thing. Similarly, here, they have a festival called 来なはいや。They said it is the same as 来なさいよ。And my host mother keeps saying things into Google Translate and showing me, and I look at the translation and think, "Yes, I should know what that is in Japanese," but then I look at the words she put in and I'm like, "what is that! I have never seen those words ever!" Sometimes she says stuff that doesn't work in Google Translate or come up when I search it. I keep hearing 「かまん」, maybe once 「かまんや」。I figured out that means "good", I think?
At least now that I know it's a dialect (I was expecting it to be like the standard Japanese I studied), I can understand better and figure things out. But it's hard!
In summary, anyone know Ikata/Ehime/Iyo(?) ben?
Ever had an experience with a dialect that was confusing?
by Bluemoondragon07