Evolution to “NHK’s New Dictionary of Japanese Pronunciation and Accentuation” [Part II]

Pronunciation and Accentuation of Words Consisting of “Numeral and Classifier”

Trend of Change and How the New Dictionary Reflected It

Published: September 1, 2016

One of the key revisions made for the “NHK’s New Dictionary of Japanese Pronunciation and Accentuation” (published in May 2016) was the appendix (reference and commentary), among which the largest part is devoted to the “list of pronunciation and accentuation of words consisting of numerals and classifiers.” Responding to the ardent requests from people working at the broadcasting frontline, we newly added a listing of classifiers frequently used in broadcasts and/or with confusable pronunciation and accentuation. We also improved the content by presenting pronunciation and accentuation of words with classifiers after numerals “from 11 to 100, 1,000, and 10,000,” in addition to the conventional “from 1 to 10,” as well as classifiers after “nan (several).” The results of the survey of announcers on accents were analyzed and precisely reflected word by word in the new dictionary in an attempt to refurbish it with pronunciation and accentuation that would comfortably fit into today’s broadcasts. This article explains in detail the features of the new dictionary. The “list” made in the course of the drastic revision indicates a change in “pronunciation and accents of words consisting of numerals and classifiers” that are shifting towards more “simplified” forms, which is also reported in this paper.

The NHK Monthly Report on Broadcast Research

Masako Takishima

in Japanese