In:Historical Linguistics 2019: Selected papers from the 24th International Conference on Historical Linguistics, Canberra, 1–5 July 2019
Edited by Bethwyn Evans, Maria Kristina Gallego and Luisa Miceli
[Current Issues in Linguistic Theory 367] 2024
► pp. 36–58
Chapter 2Early compound accent in Japanese Tōkyō-type
dialects
An unexpected finding
Published online: 21 November 2024
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.367.02boi
https://doi.org/10.1075/cilt.367.02boi
Abstract
Japanese pitch accent is of great interest to historical linguists due to its relative stability. Japanese
dialects can be grouped into accent types and subtypes, and their similarities may in some cases point to historical
connections between populations. One common accentual behaviour is found in noun compounding: All dialects of the widespread
Tōkyō-type are said to have similar rules for deriving compound accent from component nouns. The rules imply that the accent
of a compound never occurs before its morpheme boundary. We have, however, found instances of such accents in our fieldwork.
We discuss the historical interpretation of this anomalous finding, in the context of the ERC Japanese Prehistoric Migrations
project, which aims to illuminate ancient population movements through linguistic evidence.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction: Japanese tonology and its relevance for historical analysis
- 1.1Accent, tone, and Japanese dialectal geography
- 1.2Tone classes through dialects and centuries
- 1.3Compound noun accent and its historical relevance
- 2.Occurrences of early compound noun accent in recent fieldwork
- 2.1Rules for compound noun accent in Tōkyō-type dialects
- 2.1.1The morpheme boundary restriction
- 2.1.2The influence of the first component on compound accent
- 2.2Early compound noun accent in fieldwork data: Preliminary report
- 2.2.1Overview
- 2.2.2Data selection criteria
- 2.2.3Dialectal distribution of early compound noun accent
- 2.2.4Early compound noun accent in other data
- 2.2.5Discussion
- 2.1Rules for compound noun accent in Tōkyō-type dialects
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