University offers lecture on Kansai dialect for foreign students+

KOBE, April 15 Kyodo - The University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences in Kobe on Wednesday conducted a lecture on dialect spoken in the Kansai region in western Japan for foreign students who struggle to communicate both on and off campus.

The lecture, the first of its kind at the university, was held in response to
requests from foreign students who had a hard time understanding distinctive
accents and grammar of the dialect since they studied only standard Japanese
before coming to Japan, according to university officials.
More than 50 international students including from China and Saudi Arabia
participated in the class.
Yoko Ujihara, a Japanese language instructor from the Young Women's Christian
Association of Osaka, gave the lecture, explaining the difference between
''akan'' and ''chau,'' which both mean ''no'' but are used in different ways in
the region, and how verbs can become honorifics by adding the suffix ''haru.''
Lee Kang Yong, 23, who arrived from Busan, South Korea, two weeks ago, said,
''I'm surprised there are so many words that I don't know. It's hard to
understand the Kansai dialect but I'll try to make most out of the lecture and
make as many Japanese friends as possible.''
==Kyodo