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Studies on Japanese Phonology in Optimality Theory

Research Project

Project/Area Number 10044010
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B).

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field 言語学・音声学
Research InstitutionKOBE UNIVERSITY

Principal Investigator

KUBOZONO Haruo  Kobe University, Faculty of Letters, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (80153328)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) HARAGUCHI Shosuke  Meikai University, Faculty of Foreign Languages, Professor, 外国語学部, 教授 (50101316)
ITO Junko  カリフォルニア大学, サンタクルズ校言語学科, 教授
MESTER Armin  カリフォルニア大学, サンタクルズ校言語学科, 教授
Project Period (FY) 1998 – 2000
Project Status Completed (Fiscal Year 2000)
Budget Amount *help
¥4,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,200,000)
Fiscal Year 2000: ¥1,400,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000)
Fiscal Year 1999: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000)
Fiscal Year 1998: ¥1,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000)
KeywordsPhonology / Optimality Theory / Japanese / accent / syllable / mora / lexicon / compound noun / 複合語 / 制約 / 幼児語 / オノマトペ / 短縮語 / 言語理論 / 音韻構造 / 音声素性
Research Abstract

In this research project, we studied the plonological structure of Japanese in the framework of Optimality Theory, a constaint-based linguistic theory. Our main focus was on the following four topics : accent, word order and plonological structure, syllable structure of words, and the structure of the lexicon.
Our analysis of Japanese accent has revealed that epenthetic vowels behave as if they were absent and elided consonants behave as if they were present in some accent rules. This behavior of epenthetic vowels and elided consonants is difficult to explain in the constraint-based Optimality Theory, where grammaticality is defined as well-formedness on output structure.
Research on the relationship between word order and phonological structure has revealed the following three points. First, what constitutes a semantic head in compound nouns tends to be phonologically subordinated to the semantic *on-head, or modifier. This seems to account for the compound accent patterns of many languages as well as the behavior of toneless syllables in tone languages. Second, the same principle seems to govern the compound truncation process in Japanese, where the semantic head tends to be omitted. Third, there are cases where [head+modifier] compound nouns exhibit an irregular phrasing pattern as opposed to [modifier+head] compounds, which exhibit a regular phrasing pattern.
Our analysis of syllable structure has revealed that Japanese bisyllabic words display preference towards heavy-light structure as against light-heavy structure. This asymmetry in syllabic organization seems to appear in a variety of phenomena in Japanese.
Finally, our analysis of the lexicon shows that different phonological patterns exhibited by different lexical strata can be properly accounted for in the framework of Optimality Theory, in terms of universal constraints and their minimal rerankings.

Report

(4 results)
  • 2000 Annual Research Report   Final Research Report Summary
  • 1999 Annual Research Report
  • 1998 Annual Research Report
  • Research Products

    (24 results)

All Other

All Publications (24 results)

  • [Publications] KUBOZONO,Haruo: "Mora and Syllable"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics. 31-61 (1999)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] 窪薗晴夫: "日本語の語彙と音節構造-「女王」は「じょおう」か「じょうおう」か"日本語研究. 20号. 1-18 (2000)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] KUBOZONO,Haruo: "Epenthetic vowels and accent in Japanese : Facts and paradoxes"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology. 113-142 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] 窪薗晴夫: "語順と音韻構造:事実と仮説"文法と音声. 3(印刷中). (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] HARAGUCHI,Shosuke: "Accent"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics. 1-30 (1999)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] HARAGUCHI,Shosuke: "Accent of Tsuruoka Japanese"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology. (印刷中). (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kubozono, Haruo: "Mora and syllable"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics.. 31-61 (1999)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kubozono, Haruo: "Syllable structure of Japanese Words"Nihongo Kenkyu. No.20. 1-18 (2000)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kubozono, Harou: "Epenthetic vowels and accent in Japanese : facts and paradoxes"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology.. 113-142 (2001)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Kubozono, Haruo: "Word order and phonological structure"Speech and Crammar.. III(in press).

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Haraguchi, Shosuke: "Accent"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics.. 1-30 (1999)

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] Haraguchi, Shosuke: "Accent of Tsuruoka Japanese"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology.. 2001.

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
    • Related Report
      2000 Final Research Report Summary
  • [Publications] 窪薗晴夫: "日本語の語彙と音節構造-「女王」は「じょおう」か「じょうおう」か"日本語研究. 20号. 1-18 (2000)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] KUBOZONO,HARUO: "'Epenthetic vowels and accent in Japanese : Facts and paradoxes.'"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology.. 113-142 (2001)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 窪薗晴夫: "語順と音韻構造:事実と仮説"文法と音声. 3(未定). (2001)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] HARAGUCHI,SHOSUKE: "'Accent of Tsuruoka Japanese'"Issues in Japanese Phonology and Morphology.. (未定). (2001)

    • Related Report
      2000 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] KUBOZONO,Haruo: "Mora and Syllable"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics. 31-61 (1999)

    • Related Report
      1999 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] KUBOZONO,Haruo: "The Syllable as a unit of prosoic organization in Japanese"Structure and Typology of the Syllable. (未定). (2000)

    • Related Report
      1999 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Haraguchi,Shosuke: "Accent"The Handbook of Japanese Linguistics. 1-30 (1999)

    • Related Report
      1999 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 窪薗晴夫: "Mora and Syllabla" The Handbook of Japanese Linguistius. (未定). (1997)

    • Related Report
      1998 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Junko Ito: "Sympathy Theory aんd German Truncations" 音韻研究. 1. 51-66 (1998)

    • Related Report
      1998 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] Junko Ito: "The Phonological Lexicon" The Handbook of Japanese-Lingnistics. (未定). (1999)

    • Related Report
      1998 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 原口庄輔: "Aspects of Japanese Accent" 先験的言語理論の構築とその多角的実証. 2. 231--295 (1998)

    • Related Report
      1998 Annual Research Report
  • [Publications] 原口庄輔: "語形成の理論を求めて : いわゆる転換を巡って" 東西言語文化の類型論特別プロジェクト研究. 2. 389-403 (1998)

    • Related Report
      1998 Annual Research Report

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Published: 1998-04-01   Modified: 2016-04-21  

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