Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
Home> Volumes> Volume CHR Vol.60> Article
Research Article

The Production and Perception of Japanese Accent by Native Mandarin Speakers: A Study of Three-Mora Word Sequences Containing Devoiced Vowels

Siyang LiSchool of Japanese Studies, Tianjin Foreign Studies University, Tianjin, China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

A growing number of native Chinese speakers are enrolling in Japanese language programs, rendering the acquisition of Japanese pitch accent a significant topic in linguistics. Despite extensive research on the perception and production of devoiced vowels, studies on Chinese learners’ perception and production of Japanese pitch accent remain limited. This study examines the perception and production of three-mora Japanese word sequences with devoiced vowels by Chinese native learners of Japanese. The results reveal that learners made fewer perceptual than articulatory errors, who tend to pronounce P0 as P3 and P1 as rising-falling type. Further analysis indicates that compared to native speakers, there is no significant difference in the pronunciation of P0, while the pitch frequency difference for P1 is smaller and for P2, it is larger. In terms of perception, learners are able to recognize the most natural pitch differences, but the perceptual difference for P0 is smaller. Moreover, no significant correlation is found between pitch accent perception and pronunciation in these sequences.

Keywords: Pitch Accent Acquisition; Production and Perception; Devoiced Vowels; Word Sequences
Published: April 18, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.22237
Volume: CHR Vol.60
pp. 27-35
Download PDF

References

  1. Liu, Z. (2017) A note on learning Japanese accent: by analysis on Mandarin speaker to learn Japanese. Inquires into Japanese language, 3: 31-43.
  2. Strange, W. (1995) Phonetics of Second-Language Acquisition: Past, Present, Future. In 13th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences. Stockholm, Sweden. Vol 4: 76-83
  3. Kumagai, Y., Yoshida, K. and Miwa, J. (1999) On a Decision Method of Accent Type for Japanese Learning. IPSJ SIG technical reports, 16(1998-MUS-029): 71-78.
  4. Satou, H. (1993) Accent analysis of common Japanese words. Acoustical Science and Technology, 49(11): 775-784.
  5. Hirayama, M. (2024) Morphological (Non-)Effect in High Vowel Devoicing in Japanese. Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan, 28(2): 17-26.
  6. Matsui, M. (2023) The Temporal Feature of the Base Status of Japanese Devoiced Vowels. Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at Kobe Shoin, 26: 15-31.
  7. Byun, H. (2007) Regional and Generational Differences of High Vowel Devoicing in Japanese. Studies in the Japanese language, 3(1): 33-48.
  8. Yoshida, N. (2004) A Phonetic Study of Japanese Vowel Devoicing [D]. Kyoto University. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/147406.
  9. Samuel, E.M. (1953) Morphophonemics of Standard Colloquial Japanese. The Far Eastern Quarterly, 13(1): 101-104.
  10. Hasegawa, Y. (1999) Pitch Accent and Vowel Devoicing in Japanese. In 14th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS-14). San Francisco, CA, USA. pp. 523-526.
  11. Toda, T. (1999) Usage and Acquisition of Accent of English Loanwords by Japanese Learners : an Analysis based on Conversational Data from English,Chinese and Korean Speakers. Studies in language and literature. Language, 36: 89-111.
  12. Liu, J. (2010) A Study on the Acquisition of Japanese Accent by Chinese Speaking Learners: Focus on compound verb. Waseda studies in Japanese language education, 8: 15-28.
  13. Yasuda, L.and Hayashi, R. (2011) Acquisition of vowel devoicing in Japanese as a second language by Taiwanese learners of Japanese. Journal of the Phonetic Society of Japan, 15(2): 1-10.
  14. Hwang, H.K. and Hirayama, M. (2024) Acquisition of high vowel devoicing in Japanese: A production experiment with three and four year olds. In Interspeech 2024. Kos Island, Greece. pp. 4180-4183.
  15. Jeff, P. (2018) A Japanese pitch accent practice program and L1 influence on pitch accent acquisition. In The 92nd Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America. Salt Lake City, USA. pp. 1-12
  16. Whalen, D.H. (1999) Three Lines of Evidence for Direct Links Between Production and Perception. In 14th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS-14). San Francisco, CA, USA. pp. 1257-1260.
  17. Sharon, P. and Camillia, B. (2011) The Relation Between Perception and Production in L2 Phonological Processing. In Interspeech 2011, 12th Annual Conference of the International Speech Communication Association. Florence, Italy. pp. 161-164.