Linguistic Stratification of Tokyo

FAIN: FT-13861-78

Richard W. Howell
University of Hawaii, Hilo (Hilo, HI 96720-4091)

To begin preliminary study for a comprehensive examination to determine the linguistic structure of Tokyo, including suitable historical and sociological depth. While Tokyo is popularly considered to be linguistically homogeneous, grantee will study the stylistic and other variations that indeed reflect regional and social-class norms. Summer 1978 will be spent attempting to delimit the approximate boundary that presumably separates the Shitamachi ("Downtown") speech from the Yamanote ("Hillside") speech that forms the historical basis of the official standard language of Japan.