A quantitative study of functional load in Japanese phonology

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K00644
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02070:Japanese linguistics-related
• Research Institution: Kobe University
• Principal Investigator: Takemura Aiko 神戸大学, 人文学研究科, 人文学研究科研究員 (50597309)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 情報量 / 機能負担量 / 音韻 / アクセント

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study focuses on Japanese phonology and aims to clarify the functional load based on its entropy. The number of accentual categories in Japanese increases with word length if there is no information such as the number of mora, word types, etc. It was found that the number of Japanese accentual categories can be reduced to two categories if the information on number of mora, word types, etc. is known (the data reveals two categories: unaccented and accented on the penultimate). This means that information such as the number of mora, word types, etc. is important in determining the number of Japanese accent categories. It was also found that the information on lexical accents is not inherited intact through three generations, but is subject to change.

Free Research Field

言語学（音声学・音韻論、社会言語学）

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

日本語の音韻（母音、子音、アクセント等）の機能負担量（＝重要度）に焦点を絞った研究はあまり多くない。本研究では特に日本語のアクセントの型に注目した。なぜならば、日本語のアクセント型は多型であることは確かだが、究極的には二型（平板型と-3型）だと言われきたからだ。本研究でモーラ数、語種という情報が与えられたら上記の主張は正しいことを導き出した。また、語種によってアクセントの振る舞いが異なるという点は、今後日本語学習者がアクセントを学ぶ上で重要な手がかりになり得るだろう。