A basic study of the phonetic realization of new rhythm units for the application of Japanese phonetic education

本研究考察了日语中3 ~ 5-莫拉的时间结构，但不是通过追求每个词的等时性，而是通过分析作为每个词的预设结构的节奏单位的持续特征。这一思想源于这样一个假设，即日语语音节奏是由一个词中特有的节奏单元的实现在感知上引起的。在节奏范畴上，虽然有人说日语是一种韵律语言，但所谓的“莫拉假说”尚未得到证实。在这方面，本文的目的并不是否定“mora-hypothesis”，而是从节奏单位的排列角度，比较东京方言母语者和不同母语的日本学习者在词汇时间结构上的差异。所用材料分别为3、4、5-莫拉词，共62个词， 关于我们 这些都是在一个载体句子“sorewa.. desu”（“这是.... ').被调查者的母语是东京日语的3人，中国人6人，美国英语4人，韩国人6人和墨西哥西班牙语1人。实验要求被试通过看图片和阅读纸上的字母，分别读三遍材料词，然后按照本研究提出的测量标准，测量一个完整词和一个词中每个节奏单位的时长。然后，计算每个被调查者的每个单位的比率。在节奏单位的排列特征方面，东京母语者的结果如下：（1）语音上相同的节奏单位在时长值和比率上存在差异;（2）语音上不同的节奏单位在时长值和比率上存在很大差异，这取决于它们所处的语音环境;（3）每个节奏单位的比率都有自己的变化范围，与东京母语者的结果相比，学习者在节奏单位的排列上存在很大差异。特别是在单词的最后位置的节奏单元1的实现是特征。它们倾向于成为节奏单元2，这意味着它们正在形成所谓的双音步型节奏。对于韩国语学习者来说，212类5-莫拉词的实现与其他学习者有很大的不同。最后一点需要说明的是，在阅读字母和看图发音的过程中，四组学习者的整词时长存在差异。在两种记录方式下，只有美国学习者在各节奏单元的比例上表现出显著差异。少

This research paper examines the temporal organization of 3 to 5-mora of Japanese words, not by pursuing the isochrony of each word, but by analysing the durational characteristics of the rhythm units which are the posited constructs of each word. This idea originates from the hypothesis that the Japanese speech rhythm is perceptually induced by the realization of the rhythm units which are characteristically arranged in a word. In respect to rhythm category, although it has been said that Japanese is a mora-timed language, so-called 'mora hypothesis' has not yet been verified. In this respect, our purpose of this paper is not to deny the 'mora-hypothsis', but just to describe the differences in the temporal organizations of words spoken by native speakers of Tokyo dialect compared with the ones by Japanese learners of different native languages, specifically from the viewpoint of the arrangements of the rhythm units. The materials used were 3, 4, and 5-mora words, totaling 62 words, w … More hich were presentede in a carrier sentence「sorewa...........desu」('It is..........'). The informants were 3 native speakers of Tokyo Japanese, 6 of Chinese, 4 of American English, 6 of Korean and 1 Mexican Spanish speaker. They were asked to pronounce the material words three times each by looking at the pictures and by reading the letters on the paper.After following the measurement criteria posited for this research, the duration of a whole word and of each rhythm unit in a word were measured. The ratios of each unit, then, were calculated for each informant. As for the characteristics of the arrangements of rhythm units, the results obtained for the native Tokyo speakers are as follows :1)The rhythm units which are phonologically identical show differences in durational values and ratios.2)The rhythm units which are phonologically different show great variation in durational values and ratios depending on the phonological environment they appear.3)The ratios of each rhythm unit has its own range of variation.Compared with the results of the Tokyo speakers, the learners show quite different arrangements of the rhythm units. Especially the realization of rhythm unit 1s which are in the final position of words is characteristic. They tend to become rhythm unit 2 which means they are forming so-called bimoraic foot type rhythm. As for the Korean learners, the realization of 212 type of 5-mora words is quite different from the rest of the learners. The last point to be mentioned is that as for the reading the letters and the pronouncing while looking at the pictures, there were differences in the durations of whole words for 4 separate groups of learners. For the ratios of each rhythm unit, only the American learners show significant differences in both of the recording methods. Less