Artist's commentary
東方方言小咄~Every Accent is Wonderful
The third installment of Touhou manga. This time, it's all about dialects. I was worried whether the content might be provocative for English speakers, but after watching comedy skits on YouTube where British and American people mock each other's accents, I concluded that it's within the realm of acceptable jokes.
This manga includes both Japanese and English versions. In the English version, Clownpiece speaks with a Texan accent, and Alice speaks in British English, whereas in the Japanese version, they speak in Tohoku dialect and Kyoto dialect respectively. I'm using stereotypes that equate Texan English with Tohoku dialect (rustic and conservative countryside) and British English with Kyoto dialect (haughty with a high sense of pride). Due to the scenario, there are slight differences between the Japanese and English stories.
In my headcanon, Alice is more than 90% likely to be British, but what kind of English does she speak? Received Pronunciation in a sophisticated way? Or with a Scottish accent or Cockney? I personally love characters who usually use Received Pronunciation but slip into Cockney when they get angry because they originally come from downtown.
By the way, Tokyo also has its unique dialect, known as Tokyo dialect, which consists of several types, notably Edo language and Yamanote language. During the feudal era, the lower-lying eastern areas of Tokyo (downtown - at higher risk of flooding) were populated by craftsmen and merchants, and the western hills (Yamanote) were occupied by samurai residences and Buddhist temples. Even today, the eastern side tends to be more common, while the western side has a more high-class feel. (For example, Tsukishima, the setting for Otaku Elf, is a downtown area on the eastern side, while Shimokitazawa, the setting for Bocchi the Rock, is a fashionable western area.)
Modern standard Japanese was established after the Meiji Restoration, with modifications based on the Yamanote language. To give a rough analogy, the relationship between standard Japanese and Edo language is somewhat similar to that between Received Pronunciation and Cockney.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/touhou/comments/13lzyvv/comment/jksesf8/