| 元気 genki [ge-ng-ki] | good health |
| 三角 sankaku [sa-ng-ka-ku] | triangle |
| インキ inki [i-ng-ki] | ink |
| 今月 kongetsu [ko-ng-nge-tsu] | this month |
| 金魚 kingyo [ki-ng-ngyo] | goldfish |
| 文学 bungaku [bu-ng-nga-ku] | literature |
| りんご ringo [ri-ng-ngo] | apple |
The fourth pronunciation you will probably find the most difficult. The basic part of this sound is just nasalization—such as the French put on some of their vowels in words like garçon, Lyons, or chanson. Some Americans use simple nasalization in place of the nt in words like plenty, twenty [ple’y, twe’y]. If you like, you may think of this as an n with the tongue not quite touching the top of the mouth anywhere. This sound is heard most distinctly at the end of a word:
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|
| [cue 01-25] |
4. long nasalization N (At the end of a word)
| パン pan [pa-N] | bread |
| 新聞 shinbun [shi-m-bu-N] | newspaper |
| 日本 Nihon [ni-ho-N] | Japan |
| 金 kin [ki-N] | gold |
| ペン pen [pe-N] | pen |
(Before s, sh, z, pink>h, f, and r)
| 検査 kensa [ke-N-sa] | investigation |
| 新式 shinshiki [shi-N-shi-ki] | new style |
| 万歳 banzai [ba-N-za-i] | hurrah! |
| 時間表 jikanhyō [ji-ka-N-hyo-o] | timetable |
| 日本風 Nihonfū [ni-ho-N-fu-u] | Japanese style |
| 管理 kanri [ka-N-ri] | management |
Before y, w, and vowels
Before vowels, y, and w, the syllabic nasal takes on some of the color of the following sound. For example, in hon’ya [ho-N-ya] ‘bookshop,’ the N sounds like a nasalized y, anticipating the following, non-nasal y. In hon wa [ho-N-wa] ‘as for the book,’ the N sounds like a nasalized w, anticipating the following, non-nasal w. Before i or e, the syllabic nasal may also sound like a nasalized y: Nihon e [ni-ho-N-e] ‘to Japan,’ ten-in [te-N-i-N] ‘clerk.’ Here are some more examples:
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|
| [cue 01-26] |
| パン屋 pan’ya [pa-N-ya] | bakery, bakeshop |
| 婚約 kon’yaku [ko-N-ya-ku] | engagement (to be married) |
| 神話 shinwa [shi-N-wa] | myth |
| 電話 denwa [de-N-wa] | telephone |
| 禁煙 kin’en [ki-N-e-N] | No Smoking |
| 千円 sen-en [se-N-e-N] | 1000 yen |
| 金色 kin’iro [ki-N-i-ro] | gold color |
| 単位 tan’i [ta-N-i] | unit |
| 南欧 nan’ō [na-N-o-o] | Southern Europe |
1.10. Accent
In English, accent refers to the way in which stress levels occur. In Japanese, the accent is the way in which PITCH LEVELS occur. When the vibrating vocal cords are drawn out long and tight, the pitch is high. When they are relaxed and shortened, the pitch is low. In English we use different pitch levels to indicate certain general types of phrases—like question (?), statement (.), suspension (…), continuation (,), and so forth. This use of pitch is called INTONATION. Japanese has intonation, too, but it is usually restricted to the last voiced syllable of a phrase. Note that in English the intonation contour extends over much more of the phrase, but the Japanese intonation occurs only with the last syllable or two. In addition to intonation, Japanese uses pitch to differentiate words and phrases from each other, like we use stress in English. It is this use of pitch that we call accent.
In different parts of Japan there are different accent patterns. More than a half of the Japanese population speaks with accent patterns rather like those of Standard Japanese—that is, the speech of Tokyo. The principal exception is Western Japan (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe; also parts of Shikoku and southern Kyushu). There, the accent often seems just the opposite from that of Standard Japanese. Where the Tokyo speaker goes up in pitch, the Kyoto speaker often goes down. In some parts of Japan (places in northern Kyushu and in northeastern Honshu), the accent is not distinctive at all; all words have the same pattern. If you are planning to talk Japanese in Western Japan, you can completely ignore the accent marks in this section. And even if you are going to talk Japanese in Tokyo, you will be fairly well understood, even without the accent distinctions. The Japanese of today are used to hearing their language spoken with a variety of accent patterns. The important thing is that you should always imitate the persons you hear speaking Japanese and mimic their accents, wherever you may be. However, if you wish to put the final polish on your knowledge of Standard Japanese, you may want to devote some attention to the accent.
What the accent mark represents in Standard Japanese is THE LAST SYLLABLE BEFORE A FALL IN PITCH. In yukkuri ‘slowly,’ there is a fall of pitch right after the syllable ku. In Tokyo speech EVERY SYLLABLE UP TO THE FALL OF PITCH IS HIGH EXCEPT THE FIRST OF THE PHRASE. Of course, if the first syllable is itself the last before the fall, it is high. The relative pitches in yukkúri ‘slowly’ and Génki desu ‘I’m fine’ look as below, where L stands for a low pitch and H stands for a high pitch:
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|
| [cue 01-27] |
| ゆっくり | げんきです。 |
| yukkúri | Génki desu. |
| [yu-k-ku-ri] | [ge-n-ki-de-s] |
| L H H L | H L L L L |
| ‘slowly’ | ‘I’m fine.’ |
You will be able to hear this fall of pitch most clearly when it occurs on the first of a vowel sequence—like the long vowels ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, or the sequences ai, ei, oi, ui—or when it occurs on a vowel followed by the syllabic nasal. This is because we tend to hear each of these double-syllables as just one syllable and we are used to hearing a fall of pitch WITHIN a syllable in English: He saw Jóhn. Look at the bóy. Sáy. Hí! Mé. Nó. Yóu. Listen to these examples:
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|
| [cue 01-28] |
どういたしまして。
Dō itashimashite. [dó-o-i-ta-shi-ma-sh-te]
Not at all.
日本にいます。
Nihon ni imasu. [ni-hó-n-ni-i-ma-s]
He’s