Suski P.M. The Phonetics of Japanese Language: With Reference to Japanese Script

Routledge. Oxon, UK New York, USA. 2011. — 144 p. Includes Glossary.This book gives true characters of Japanese speech sounds in reference to European speech sounds. When it was first published in 1931, it was the first book of its kind. There are only 5 Japanese vowel elements as opposed to 18 in English, 13 in French and 8 in German. There are 15 Japanese consonants, 26 in English, 22 in French & 23 in German. Because of the lesser number of elements, it follows that the wider range in vowels and consonants is heard by Japanese ears, so this volume gives average sounds uttered by Japanese in the twentieth century in relation to the English sounds.How Japan Acquired the Writing
Sounds of Kanji
Characters Sounded Alike in Japan and China
Japanese Sounds of Kanji
Homophonous Characters
Characters Used in Sense Peculiar to Japanese
Japan-made Characters & Japan-created Sounds
Kanji Created in Japan
Some Unusual Sounds Peculiar to Japanese
Some Difficult Geographical & Personal Names
Variation in Characters
Calligraphy
Japanese Compositions
Japanese Compounds
Japanese Compounds Not Understood by Chinese
Meiji Compounds
Examples of Meiji Words
Phonetic Use of Kanji
Kana
I-ro-ha and Gojuin
ounds of Japanese Speech
Japanese Vowels
Variation in Japanese Vowels
Length of Japanese Vowels
Japanese Consonants
T and D
Relation of Z Line to D Line
Y is Shorter and Weaker
Japanese R
Japanese Final N
Contracted or Doubled Consonants
Combined Consonants
Variation in Sounds
Variation According to Time
Individualism and Provincialism
Circumstantial Variations
Romaji
Romanized Kana
Japanese System of Romaji
Accents and tresses
Accents on Syllables
Accents on European Languages
Importance of Accents
Peculiarity of Japanese Accents
Elision of Vowels
Japanese Orthography
Difficulties of Japanese Orthography
Early Japanese Sounds
Influence of Romaji on ounds
General RemarksISBN: 0-203-84180-8 Master e-book ISBN:
ISBN13: 978-0-415-56498-4 (Set)
eISBN 13:978-0-203-84317-8 (Set)
ISBN13: 978-0-415-59413-4 (Volume 59)
eISBN 13:978-0-203-84180-8 (Volume 59)