On the Intergenerational Reality of Dialect Grammatical Features which are Subject to Change and Expanding Usage: The Case Particles Sa and Doko and Expressions of Possibility in the Akita Dialect

This article examines the grammatical features of the Akita dialect, which has been identified as undergoing change and expansion in its usage. Specifically, the following three phenomena were examined: (1) The case particle sa, which indicates the direction and destination of movements; (2) The case particle doko, which indicates the object; and (3) expressions of possibility. This article attempts to clarify the specific dynamics of the above features using field surveys targeting younger, middle-aged, and older people. The analysis revealed the following points in relation to each grammatical feature. (1) As the ages of respondents decreased from older to younger, there was a remarkable growth in the range of expressions used, especially in indicating movement, change and direction. However, there were three stages to this growth: the establishment stage; the transitional stage; and the emergent stage. (2) The rules for usage of doko were retained in older people, relating to whether the object is sentient or non-sentient, whereas younger people have not retained most of these rules, and middle-aged people exhibited an intermediate status in this regard. (3) The application of verb forms of potential to potential situations was observed in the elderly group, with some partial violations of these rules, whereas in the middle-aged group there was a transitional growth of confusion in relation to expressions of capability, and the whole system for making such expressions was becoming less clear. Almost all of these forms had become irregular in their usage among the younger group