Questions concerning the rising and falling pitch in spoken Japanese, which can vary between otherwise homophonous words, but the patterns of which also vary greatly between the different regions of Japan.
4
votes
1answer
158 views
Can ま be used as an interjection to connote an indignant tone?
On occasion, I will hear ま being used in a way that seems to suggest the speaker is responding to something indignantly. Something like, "Well! If that's how you're going to act..." Are there any good ...
7
votes
1answer
109 views
Do the various verbs pronounced つく differ in intonation?
Related: Dissecting つく verbs
There are many verbs which are pronounced つく, and I was simply wondering: Do their intonation patterns differ?
If so, what are the intonation patterns of the most ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
How does the intonation of ありがとう vary between dialects?
I recall in my speaking/listening class last semester in Japan, when we were discussing proper intonation in the standard dialect, that the intonation of ありがとう varied rather widely between dialects ...
6
votes
1answer
167 views
What is the origin of the theatrical intonation used by Tokyo Disneyland's cast members?
When I had the chance to go on a Jungle Cruise at Tokyo Disneyland, I noticed the skipper talked with sprinkles of prolonged vowels and uncommon rising and falling intonation patterns.
Is this ...
23
votes
6answers
943 views
How important is one's pitch when speaking Japanese?
I'm aware of some words in Japanese that have the same reading but different meaning depending on the pitch of each syllable. The canonical example is はし (hashi), which can mean either chopsticks ...
