Quote:
Originally Posted by Nagoyankee
Probably yes, but I have to hear him speak to be sure.
There are so many dialects as Japan is a highly mountaneous country. Before the days of radio and TV, large mountains and wide rivers seriously prevented people from communicating with each other. You simple didn't speak like the guys in the next town. But you didn't have to because not many people had to travel across natural boundaries back then.
Today people can communicate with one another because everyone is taught the same style of sppech in schools and because we all watch the same TV programs and such. However, we still do speak dialects at home, which I'm sure would be the case in many other countries. You just wont hear as much dialect in formal or professional situations.
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For sure this thing of the dialects in Japan is very interesting. I can understand the dialects in my country. Italy for centuries had been conquered in pieces. One part from France, one part from Austria, Hispanic, Arabic and so on. That makes it clear why we have so many dialects which are actually very different languages with completely different words (some of them with actually different grammar). But I can't see the same reason for this happening in Japan. Having Japanese people the same root, I can see a slight difference in dialects, but it is hard to understand (for someone outside of Japan) the reason of so many dialects.