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Part of
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 2
Early compound accent in Japanese Tōkyō-type dialects

An unexpected finding

| Ruhr-Universität Bochum
| Ruhr-Universität Bochum
| Ruhr-Universität Bochum
| Ruhr-Universität Bochum
| Ruhr-Universität Bochum
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.
Keywords: Japanese, historical linguistics, pitch accent, tonology, dialectology, noun compounds, Gairin dialects, Totsukawa dialect, Kakegawa dialect
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
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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