The syllable as a prosodic unit in Japanese lexical strata: Evidence from text-setting

Abstract

Text-setting, the arrangement of language to music, is a common source of evidence in the debate over the relevance of the syllable in Japanese prosody (e.g., Labrune 2012). Although Japanese text-setting is typically treated as mora-based, the present corpus analysis reveals that syllable-based text-setting is pervasive in Japanese. Two studies presented here compare native Japanese songs with those translated into Japanese. The results demonstrate use of syllabic settings throughout the corpora and across the lexical strata of Japanese. Syllabic settings are shown to arise with greater likelihood in response to pressures imposed by restrictive translation contexts, information density mismatch, and knowledge of correspondence to English loans. We argue that, given the viability of syllabic text-setting in Japanese, moraic text-setting is a stylistic norm of Japanese music that is shifting over time, rather than evidence of a lack of syllable structure in the language's prosodic system.

The role of music in documenting phonological grammar: Two case studies from West Africa

“…In this paper, I have shown how musical adaptation of language can provide a unique source of evidence for speakers' implicit knowledge of phonological structure (e.g. the mora and the syllable in Japanese, Starr and Shih 2017, or differences between lexical and postlexical tone in the balafon surrogate language), allophonic variation and postlexical processes (Seenku tonal textsetting), and even surface phonetic details (Tommo So tonal textsetting; see also Katz 2015 on the phonetic details of imperfect rhyme in hip-hop). Musicians' sensitivities to these different levels of representation can provide evidence for boundaries between components of grammar (e.g.…”

“…Previous work on the relationship between phonology and music has tended to focus on four main topics: textsetting, whether tonal (Herzog 1934, Leben 1983, Wong and Diehl 2002, Schellenberg 2012 Kirby to appear, etc.) or non-tonal (Halle and Lerdahl 1993, Shih 2008, Hayes 2009, Calder 2013, Starr and Shih 2017; grouping and phrasing (Lerdahl andJackendoff 1993, Katz andPesetsky 2011, Katz (m.s. ), etc.…”

“…); rhyme (Zwicky 1976, Holtman 1996, Hanson 2003, Kawahara 2007, Katz 2015; or lastly rhythm (Patel andDaniele 2003, Seifart et al 2018, etc.). To illustrate how data from music can advance phonological theory, I briefly summarize one study here (Starr and Shih 2017).…”

Japanese has syllables: a reply to Labrune

“…It thus seems that text-setting in Japanese can be based on syllables, as well as moras. A more systematic study has been recently conducted by Starr & Shih (2014), which shows that Japanese speakers can generally associate a heavy syllable to one musical note. Their study builds on a body of studies on how text-setting is achieved in Japanese singing traditions (Sugito 1998, Kubozono 1999a, Tanaka 2000, 2012, Manabe 2009; all discussed by Starr & Shih).…”

Initial cluster timing in Japanese English

“…Under moraic timing, the devoiced mora is considered equivalent to any other mora, but rhythmic effects are observed in syllable timing. In sung Japanese, for instance, and especially songs translated from English, those devoiced moras can be combined into the following mora to form a syllable with a complex onset [6]. Speakers may move the tongue in the direction of the voiceless vowel, or they may simply insert a small gap without any articulatory target [5].…”