The Phonology of Japanese (The Phonology of the World's Languages)

## Abstract This book offers a comprehensive overview of the phonology of Japanese, based on Japanese and Western materials and the author’s original research. It provides a rich source of materials and critical discussion of some current problems, reviewing previously published analyses and proposing solutions. Focussing on modern standard (Tôkyô) Japanese, with occasional excurses into major dialectical variations and historical backgrounds, the book offers both a critical synthesis of Japanese phonology and new analyses on some of its central features. Starting with the vowel inventory, the phonology of high vowel devoicing, insertion and elision, prosodic lengthening and shortening, and the status of diphthongs, it moves to the consonant system and the phonology of voicing, and to the so-called moraic segments. The chapter dedicated to the prosodic units provides a detailed and original analysis of the relation between the mora and syllable, one of the key issue of Japanese phonology, not to forget the foot and the prosodic word. It argues that the mora and the foot are sufficient for the comprehension and analysis of the phonology of Japanese. The final and longest chapter is devoted to accent, through descriptions and analyses of simplex and compound noun accentuation, default accentuation, the underlying accent of Sino-Japanese morphemes and that of numeral compounds to name just a few. It also addresses the question of the typological status of the Japanese accent in relation to tone. This is the fullest account of Japanese phonology ever published. At the same time it makes original contributions both to current understanding of the Japanese sound system and to contemporary phonological theory more generally. After a consideration of the history of linguistic variation in Japanese, the book focuses on modern standard Japanese and its major dialectical variations. Professor Labrune presents a critical overview of current Japanese phonology and new analyses of the central features of Japanese phonology, including segment inventory, the phonology of voicing, the nature of moraic segments, the mora, the syllable, the foot and the upper prosodic units, and accent. Drawing on her own extensive research and on published work in and outside Japan Professor Labrune presents a synthesis of work within and outside Japan. In doing so she shows the great value as well as some of the limitations of approaches derived from Japanese traditional linguistics and philology, work which has largely been ignored outside the country. Her balanced, clear presentation will appeal to phonologists and their advanced students throughout the world. Title Pages 2 Acknowledgements 7 Tables, Figures, and Maps 9 Notes on Transcription, Abbreviations, and Other Matters 11 1 Introduction 14 2 Vowels 37 3 Consonants 68 4 The phonology of consonant voicing 109 5 Special segments 138 6 Prosodic units 148 7 Accent 183 References 238 Index 262 Print,ISBN-13:,9780199545834 Print ISBN-13: 9780199545834 This book is the fullest account of the phonology of Japanese and its major dialects ever published. It presents original analyses of every aspect of the Japanese sound system, including its segment inventory, prosodic units, mora and syllable, prosody, and accent. Its clear presentation will appeal to phonologists throughout the world.