The conjectural and hortative bee : from dialectal particle to stereotypic marker

Abstract: The Japanese conjectural and hortative particle bee is the main characteristic of Tohoku dialect, and has been rigorously studied by Tamakake Gen at Tohoku University. This thesis presents for the first time in English his semantic categorization of bee, while complementing this with a detailed description of the particle's grammatical properties. The stereotypic bee, as can be seen in the Final Fantasy X International videogame, is also introduced, and argued to co-exist with the dialectal bee as a separate entity from it. Through the assistance of an informant from the Tohoku area's capital, Sendai, the inconsistencies between Tamakake's account and her perception of bee are then pinpointed. These are discussed and explained through the presence of the stereotypic bee in Sendai, and the argument is made that the dialectal bee is about to be consumed by its own stereotypic cousin.