Japanese Phonology: Sound Patterns, Mora Timing, and Prosody

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What does phonology study?

Phonology studies how a language organizes and uses its speech sounds, including contrasts and constraints on sound sequences.

What are the four broad Japanese lexical strata?

Yamato (inherited native words), mimetic (expressive sound-symbolic words), Sino-Japanese (Chinese-derived vocabulary), and foreign (other borrowed vocabulary).

What is a mora?

A mora is a unit of rhythmic timing used to describe Japanese word length. A long vowel typically counts as two morae.

How can pitch accent distinguish words?

Words can differ in whether they are accented and in which mora bears the accent; the resulting pitch drop may distinguish meanings.

What is phonotactics?

Phonotactics describes the restrictions on which sounds and sound sequences can occur in a language or vocabulary stratum.

Quiz questions

1. How many consonant phonemes do analyses of Japanese recognize?Answer: Analyses recognize roughly 12 to 21 phonemes.
2. In a common description of Japanese, what is a realization of /h/ before /u/?Answer: [ɸ]
3. In a common analysis of Japanese geminates, what does /Q/ represent?Answer: The first mora of a geminate obstruent.
4. Which Japanese vowels are especially prone to devoicing in suitable environments?Answer: /i/ and /u/
5. What is the key difference between a mora and a syllable in Japanese description?Answer: A mora measures rhythmic timing; a syllable is organized around a vowel.