words for snail


I have seen かたつむり and でんでんむし and ででむし listed as "snail." What are the
differences between these words?




They are dialectal forms, but it could be said that three synonymous forms
かたつむり, でんでんむし, and まいまい have gained more or less nation-wide recognition
today. The situation is somehow similar to that
"[soda/pop/coke](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/6926/157006)"
tripartition in USA.

The name of snail has been a signature of Japanese dialectology since the
pioneering work [『蝸牛考』](http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1823865) written in
1930 by [Kunio Yanagida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunio_Yanagita). The
summary of this book is that dialectal forms distribute in concentric circles
from Kyoto, so that the remotest place maintains the oldest form.

> (newer/nearer to Kyoto → older/farther)  
>  デデムシ > マイマイ > カタツムリ > ツブリ > ナメクジ
> ([source](http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1823865/103))

A very detailed survey on word forms of "snail" conducted by 国立国語研究所 was
compiled into three atlas (No.
[1](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_236.pdf),
[2](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_237.pdf),
[3](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_238.pdf)) if you seek
further understanding. (Tons of local forms recorded.)

I (and most people living in Tokyo) would use かたつむり most often.




They are dialectal forms, but it could be said that three synonymous forms
かたつむり, でんでんむし, and まいまい have gained more or less nation-wide recognition
today. The situation is somehow similar to that
"[soda/pop/coke](https://english.stackexchange.com/q/6926/157006)"
tripartition in USA.

The name of snail has been a signature of Japanese dialectology since the
pioneering work [『蝸牛考』](http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1823865) written in
1930 by [Kunio Yanagida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunio_Yanagita). The
summary of this book is that dialectal forms distribute in concentric circles
from Kyoto, so that the remotest place maintains the oldest form.

> (newer/nearer to Kyoto → older/farther)  
>  デデムシ > マイマイ > カタツムリ > ツブリ > ナメクジ
> ([source](http://dl.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1823865/103))

A very detailed survey on word forms of "snail" conducted by 国立国語研究所 was
compiled into three atlas (No.
[1](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_236.pdf),
[2](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_237.pdf),
[3](https://www.ninjal.ac.jp/s_data/drep/laj_map/LAJ_238.pdf)) if you seek
further understanding. (Tons of local forms recorded.)

I (and most people living in Tokyo) would use かたつむり most often.

