ない pitch accent

Question

This seems so basic, and yet it's been on my mind for a while. Standalone, it seems very straightforward: ない{HL}, しない{LHH}, いない{LHH}. But what about their pitch accent when used as subsidiary verbs or in conjunction with other words?

I feel like I've been hearing and saying しないほうが{LHLLLL} (1, 2, 3, 4), but is my auditory perception correct?

Also since it comes from ていない, should it be てない{LHH} or てない{HHH} depending on the preceding verb? I feel like I hear 買ってない(かってない{LHHHL}) or 買っていない(かっていない{LHHHHL}). Am I mishearing it?

• 5 (I'd also like to ask if he says かったんですけども{LHHLLLLLL}, namely it drops on ん/の, right? I think that's how I hear and use it, but I'm double-checking to make sure my ears work)
• 6
• 7

Answer 1

I feel like I've been hearing and saying しないほうが{LHLLLL} (1, 2, 3, 4), but is my auditory perception correct?

No, the correct accent is しないほうが{LHHHLL}. However, due to the general downsloping tendency of human articulation, the mora where accent kernel lies (or downstep occurs; in this case, ほ) is not always the highest point of phonetic pitch. You can test the fact on this page and listen to the synthetic voice.

I feel like I hear 買ってない(かってない{LHHHL}) or 買っていない(かっていない{LHHHHL}). Am I mishearing it?

No, this time you are correct. As NHKアクセント新辞典 does not provide the accent pattern of ～ていない, below is based on my personal introspection.

In usual circumstance, Vていない has accent on な if V is not accented, and may or may not have accent on な if V is accented. (When an accent phrase contains consecutive downsteps you can no more use the two level notation.)

買う{LH} > 買っていない{LHHHHL}
会う{HL} > 会っていない{HLLLLL} or 会ꜜっていなꜜい

However, when the verb is qualifying a noun, the accent is flattened. Alternatively you can break the accent phrase in the middle like 買って{LHH}いない{LHH}～ and 会って{HLL}いない{LHH}～.

買っていない先生（かっていないせんせい{LHHHHHHHHL}）
会っていない先生（あっていないせんせい{HLLLLLLHHL}）

The contracted Vてない form always has accent on な.

買ってない先生（かってないせんせい{LHHHLLHHL}）
会ってない先生（あꜜってなꜜい‌せんせい{LHHL}）

^{(You may also hear あってないせんせい{HLLLLLHHL} but I don't speak like that.)}