Editing Kansai dialect (section)

=== Osaka ===
'''Osaka-ben''' ([[:ja:大阪弁|大阪弁]]) is often identified with Kansai dialect by most Japanese, but some of the terms considered to be characteristic of Kansai dialect are actually restricted to Osaka and its environs. Perhaps the most famous is the term ''mōkarimakka?'', roughly translated as "how is business?", and derived from the verb ''mōkaru'' (儲かる), "to be profitable, to yield a profit". This is supposedly said as a greeting from one Osakan to another, and the appropriate answer is another Osaka phrase, ''maa, bochi bochi denna'' "well, so-so, y'know".

The idea behind ''mōkarimakka'' is that Osaka was historically the center of the merchant culture. The phrase developed among low-class shopkeepers and can be used today to greet a business proprietor in a friendly and familiar way but is not a universal greeting. The latter phrase is also specific to Osaka, in particular the term ''bochi bochi'' (L-L-H-L). This means essentially "so-so": getting better little by little or not getting any worse. Unlike ''mōkarimakka'', ''bochi bochi'' is used in many situations to indicate gradual improvement or lack of negative change. Also, ''bochi bochi'' (H-L-L-L) can be used in place of the standard Japanese ''soro soro'', for instance ''bochi bochi iko ka'' "it is about time to be going".<ref>Kazuo Fudano (2006). {{nihongo||大阪弁「ほんまもん」講座|Ōsaka "Honmamon" Kōza}}. Tokyo: Shinchosha</ref>

In the Edo period, '''Senba-kotoba''' (船場言葉), a social dialect of the wealthy merchants in the [[central business district]] of Osaka, was considered the standard Osaka-ben. It was characterized by the polite speech based on Kyoto-ben and the subtle differences depending on the business type, class, post etc. It was handed down in [[Meiji period|Meiji]], [[Taishō period|Taishō]] and [[Shōwa period|Shōwa]] periods with some changes, but after the [[Pacific War]], Senba-kotoba became nearly an obsolete dialect due to the modernization of business practices. Senba-kotoba was famous for a polite copula ''gowasu'' or ''goasu'' instead of common Osakan copula ''omasu'' and characteristic forms for shopkeeper family mentioned below.

{{chart top|An example of forms of address for shopkeeper family in Senba<ref>Isamu Maeda (1977). {{nihongo||大阪弁|Ōsaka-ben}}. Tokyo: Asahi Shimbun</ref>}}
{{chart/start}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | |Gm|~|y|~|Gf| |Gm=''oesan, oehan'' (keeper's mother) |Gf=''oyadansan'' (keeper's father)}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |!}}
{{chart| | | | | | | | | | |Mo|y|Fa|Mo=''goryonsan'' (keeper's wife)<br/>''inkyo no oehan'' (after retiring)<br/>''okohittsan'' (widow)|Fa=''dansan, danahan'' (shopkeeper)<br/>''goinkyohan'' (after retiring)}}
{{chart| | | | | | | |,|-|-|-|-|-|^|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|.| | | }}
{{chart| | | | | | |Da| | | | | | | | | | | |So|~|SoWi|Da=''itosan, itohan, tōhan'' (keeper's daughter)|So=''bonsan, bonbon'' (keeper's son)<br/>''wakadansan'' (keeper's heir)|SoWi=''wakagoryonsan'' (son's wife)}}
{{chart| |,|-|-|-|v|-|^|-|v|-|-|-|.| | | |,|-|-|-|+|-|-|-|.}}
{{chart|Da1| |Da2| |Da3| |Da4| |So1| |So2| |So3|Da1=''aneitosan'' (eldest daughter)|Da2=''nakaitosan'' (2nd daughter)|Da3=''koitosan, koisan'' (3rd　daughter)|Da4=''koikoisan'' (youngest daughter)|So1=''anibonsan'' (eldest son)|So2=''nakabonsan'' (2nd son)|So3=''kobonsan'' (youngest son)}}
{{chart/end}}
{{chart bottom}}

Southern branches of Osaka-ben, such as '''[[Izumi Province|Senshū]]-ben''' ([[:ja:泉州弁|泉州弁]]) and '''[[Kawachi Province|Kawachi]]-ben''' ([[:ja:河内弁|河内弁]]), are famous for their harsh locution, characterized by trilled "r", the question particle ''ke'', and the second person ''ware''. The farther south in Osaka one goes, the cruder the language is considered to be, with the local Senshū-ben of [[Kishiwada, Osaka|Kishiwada]] said to represent the peak of harshness.<ref>Riichi Nakaba (2005). ''Kishiwada Shonen Gurentai''. Kodansha. {{ISBN|4-06-275074-0}}</ref>