Japanese with Manga

Picking up Kyoto dialect with 〜ようになる

Grammar Explanation: Coming to do with 〜ようになる

Riko, the trainee, vacuums the room in a turtleneck sweater. Two thought bubbles beside her trail toward a small drawing of glasses, marking them as Tsurukoma's thoughts.
舞妓さんちのまかないさん » Volume 8 » Page 142

The dance teacher and the house mistress send the maiko off with おきばりやす, “keep up the good work”. Later, over a cup of tea, Tsurukoma decides the phrase sounds cool and wants to say it herself. Watching Riko, the new trainee, vacuum the room, she realizes she could say it to her own junior.

つる駒(こま):
「理子(りこ)、最近(さいきん)京都弁(きょうとべん)しゃべるようになってきたし、」
“Riko's started speaking Kyoto dialect lately...”
Literal: “Riko has lately been coming to speak Kyoto dialect, and...”
「そこはちゃんとねぎらってやらんとあかんやろ。」
“...so I really ought to give her some credit for that.”
Literal: “...on that point, I have to properly recognize her effort, right?”

Key Points

1しゃべるようになってきた = has started speaking
  • ようになる after a dictionary-form verb says someone has started doing something they didn’t do before. しゃべるようになる is “come to speak”.
  • てきた adds that the change has been building up gradually up to now. With 最近(さいきん), “lately”, the line says Riko has been picking up Kyoto speech over recent weeks.
  • Riko usually talks in casual standard Japanese, with endings like っス. Tsurukoma has noticed Kyoto speech creeping in.
  • Casual speech often drops を, so 京都弁(きょうとべん)しゃべる is 京都弁(きょうとべん)をしゃべる.
2Giving a reason with し
  • し after a clause gives a reason, often one of several, with the others left unsaid. Here it gives Tsurukoma her excuse: since Riko is making progress, she deserves a word of praise.
3ねぎらってやらんとあかん = I have to recognize her effort
  • ねぎらう is to thank or praise someone for their hard work. It’s usually said by someone senior to someone junior, the same way おきばりやす is.
  • 〜てやる is a blunter 〜てあげる, for doing something for someone below you. Riko is the newest member of the house.
  • やらんとあかん is Kansai speech for やらないといけない, “have to do”. ん is the Kansai negative ない, and あかん means “no good”.
4Persuading herself with やろ
  • やろ is Kansai for だろう. Here she seeks agreement from no one but herself: “that’s only right, isn’t it?”
  • そこは points back to Riko’s progress: “for that, at least”. ちゃんと is “properly”. She’s building a case for doing what she already wanted to do, which is say おきばりやす.

Vocabulary

(Dialect)

弁(べん) after a place name means that place’s dialect or accent, as in 京都弁(きょうとべん) “Kyoto dialect” and 関西弁(かんさいべん) “Kansai dialect”.

(To talk)

しゃべる is to talk or chat, usually in a casual, everyday way.

(Way)

よう follows a word to show a way or manner, or that something seems a certain way. ようになる means to reach a point where something happens. It is also written 様(よう).

(To become)

なる is to change into a different state or become something. It also means something turns out a certain way. It is also written 成(な)る.

(To come)

くる is to move toward the speaker or the place being talked about. After a て-form verb, it shows a change coming about, or going and coming back. It is the kana spelling of 来(く)る.

(There)

そこ points to a place near the listener or one just mentioned. It can also point to a matter just raised, as in そこは “on that point”.

(Properly)

ちゃんと describes doing something correctly and with care, the way it should be done.

(To show appreciation)

ねぎらう is to thank or praise someone for their hard work. It’s usually said to someone of equal or lower status.

(To do)

やる is a casual word for “to do”. It also means to give something to someone of lower standing, or to animals and plants.

See Also

舞妓さんちのまかないさん © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.