I was wondering how 手伝わなあかん was conjugated. I know that it consists of the
words 手伝う and あかん but I don't know why the い was dropped. Is it slang?
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2020-06-12T12:46:52.547
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2020-06-12T13:45:48.300
2020-06-12T13:45:48.300
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question
conjugations kansai-ben
How was 手伝わなあかん conjugated?
This な is a Kansai-ben contracted version of
[ねば](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/3061/5010), which is an
(archaic/literary) negative-hypothetical verb ending (≒"if not").

> ###
> [近畿方言#否定](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%BF%91%E7%95%BF%E6%96%B9%E8%A8%80#%E5%90%A6%E5%AE%9A)
>
> 仮定形は「ね」であるが、後続の助詞「ば」と融合して「な」や「ん」となる（例：行かねばあかん→行かなあかん、行かねばならん→行かなならん・行かんならん）。

  * **手伝う** : to help/assist
  * **手伝わぬ** : not to help (archaic negative form)
  * **手伝わねば** : if not help (archaic negative-hypothetical form)
  * **手伝わな** : if not help (Kansai-ben contraction of 手伝わねば)

So your sentence is 手伝わねばならない or 手伝わないといけない in standard Japanese.

* * *

  * あかん is originally 明かぬ, but it means "sucks" or "is bad" in Kansai-ben. See [this question](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/25998/5010).
  * Just like ねば/ないと in standard Japanese, な in Kansai-ben can mean "must" on its own. 

> もう行かないと。= もう行かねば。= もう行かな。= It's time to go.

  * ねば can contract also to にゃ or にゃあ in many dialects in middle/western Japan. 

> 手伝わなにゃならん。 = 手伝わないといけない。 = I must help them.
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2020-06-12T13:30:04.837
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2020-06-12T13:43:59.430
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
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answer