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Chapter 9: JAPANESE

PHONOLOGY AND PHONOTACTICS:

Patterns of Native Language Influence: Examples:
Vowel distortions slip – sleep
test – taste
In Japanese, there are only five vowels. The stood – stewed
five vowel sounds can be long or short. Long
vowels are held twice as long as short
vowels, but there is no pronunciation
difference between long and short vowels.
Multiple syllables accented tsu‐NA‐mi – tsu‐na‐mi

All syllables in Japanese receive equal stress,
whereas stress fluctuates in English words.
Omission of word final consonants or chocolate – chocolato OR chocola
addition of vowel after final consonant

In Japanese, only 6 sounds appear at the end
of words (5 vowels and /n/), whereas in
English, many more consonants are allowed
in this position.
Consonant cluster reduction store – tore

In Japanese, words do not start or end with

consonant clusters. Syllables can be only one
consonant, a consonant and one vowel, or a
consonant plus a glide and a vowel.
Additionally, there are special syllables
consisting of /n/, double consonants, or
double vowels.
Addition of a vowel before /n/ in word‐ initial new – enew
position

In Japanese, a word cannot begin with the
/n/ sound.
Pronunciation of /n/ as /m/ before /m/, /p/, pinball – pimball
or /b/
Pronunciation of /n/ as /ng/ before a vowel, won – wong
at the end of a word, or before /k/, /y/, /w/,
/g/, or /ng/
Devoicing of /I/ or /u/ when occurring pursue – purs
between two voiceless consonants, or at the
end of the word with a preceding voiceless
consonant

In Japanese, this characteristic only occurs in 50
running speech, but if the word is
pronounced in isolation, these vowels may
not be devoiced.

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