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I remember reading that there is a dialect in which older men refer to
themselves as あたし. It didn't have a feminine connotation, it may have even
been a bit rough.

I think I read it on Wikipedia, but being as I can't find it now, I wonder if
it was a prank edit. I'm also pretty sure it was a Honshu dialect.
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dialects first-person-pronouns
Is there a dialect where older men refer to themselves as あたし?
No. Older men might use わし, but men don't use あたし. Maybe if they are
homosexuals (like Tanoshingo) and even then, it would be to joke around, I
think.
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I never heard that あたし is used as _regional_ dialect, but old men from Rakugo-
ka ([落語家](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%90%BD%E8%AA%9E%E5%AE%B6)) sometimes
use it. If I remember correctly, Hayashiya Kikuou
([林家木久扇](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%9E%97%E5%AE%B6%E6%9C%A8%E4%B9%85%E6%89%87))
from Shou-ten ([笑点](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%AC%91%E7%82%B9)) uses it.

Note: rakugo-ka are a group of people who do
[rakugo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakugo), a kind of comedian talk show.
One of the definitions at the [Merriam-Webster](http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/dialect) dictionary mentions "dialect" as "a variety of
a language used by the members of a group", so that could be a kind of
dialect. But the Japanese Wikipedia definition of dialect,
[方言](http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%96%B9%E8%A8%80), only mentioned regional
dialect as dialect. (I didn't read the details of it, so I could be wrong.)
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Looks like the reason I couldn't find it was because someone recently rewrote
the Tokyo dialect article on Wikipedia (by chance the [old
page](http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tokyo_dialect&oldid=420269742#Shitamatachi_dialect)
was still cached and served to me!). It said, "Atashi is a feminine first
person in standard Japanese, but in Shitamachi dialect, it is often used by
both men and women."

Sorry if I threw anyone off by limiting it to older men. I think my brain just
associates Shitamachi with older people (maybe because of
[this](http://ja.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E6%B1%9F%E6%88%B8%E8%A8%80%E8%91%89&oldid=37694691#.E7.8F.BE.E4.BB.A3)).

I also found this [goo question](http://oshiete.goo.ne.jp/qa/4479107.html)
which was answered with 「あたし」は男女問わず東京弁です。特に男が使うのが下町の特徴です。 (Forgive the
translation: Tokyo-ben's atashi isn't connected to gender. In particular, it's
a trait of the Shitamachi men who use it.)

Unfortunately, the Wiki wasn't well sourced, and well the goo site isn't
definitive either.

By the way, I found a few links that agree with what YOU said about being used
by rakugo professionals.
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