Common developments of Japanese and Dutch-Flemish dialectology: computational dialectology in Japan

In this paper, quantitative method of dialectology developed in Dutch-Flemish and Japanese dialectology will be discussed. Three main topics will be treated here. (1) Glottogram was conceived of in Japan on the basis of Itoigawa survey which was a collaborative work of Dr Sibata and Dr Grootaers. Because of this technique it became possible to ascertain that “new dialect” is born and spreading even now. Age difference or apparent time is a key concept of linguistic change. (2) Perceptual dialectology has the roots in Dutch dialectology and was imported in Japan through Grootaers and Sibata. It developed into psycholinguistic analysis of dialect image. (3) Dialectal differences can be studied in order to classify dialects into divisions or areas. They can also be studied as a continuum, reflecting dynamics of linguistic change. Railway distance is a convenient basis to explain dialect differences. Commonalities and differences in Dutch-Flemish and Japanese dialectology will be discussed at the end.