The set of constraints on how sequences of segments pattern. This forms part of a speaker's internalized knowledge of the pholonogy of a language. Phonotactic rules are usually prohibitive, not constructive.
16
votes
3answers
531 views
How 「えい」 should be pronounced in the words like 英語, 先生, etc?
P.S.: I heard that 「生」 (せい) in the word 先生 can be pronounced either as [sei] or as [see]. If it is so, is there any semantic difference between these variants?
9
votes
3answers
945 views
Is “あらら” (arara) a word or just a “vocal noise”?
A friend just wrote this as a comment on a photo of mine on Facebook.
Is it an actual word or is it what I call a "vocal noise"?
By "vocal noise" I mean those things which convey some meaning but ...
