notably on the islands of Kyushu and Okinawa-are virtually incomprehensible to the
speakers of other dialects. As a result of this diversity of dialects, the Japanese use a
standard, or common, dialect to facilitate communication throughout the country. The
two dialect families with the largest number of speakers are the dialect spoken in and
around Tokyo, which is the common dialect, and the dialects of the Kansai region in
western Japan, spoken in cities such as Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. Due to the spread of
the common dialect through television and radio, most people outside the Tokyo region
speak the common dialect as well as a local dialect.
Refrences
World Book Encyclopedia (Cd Rom)
Grolier Encyclopedia (Cd Rom)
Encarta 96 Encyclopedia (Cd Rom)
JETRO (Internet Site)
CIA World Factbook (Internet Site)
Q