Hondo

The term "Hondo" in the context of Japanese dialects refers to the dialect spoken throughout Japan, as opposed to the Nantō dialects spoken by Okinawa islanders. The Hondo dialect can be further divided into three major subdialects: Eastern, Western, and Kyushu. The Eastern subdialects, known as the Azuma language, were established in the 7th and 8th centuries. Later, the Kamigata subdialect became the foundation of standard Japanese. The Western subdialects, particularly the Kinki version, were once the standard language, though the present Kamigata subdialect is more recent. Kyushu subdialects have retained older forms and extend to the southern islands.1