This is one of the pages of the sci.lang.japan Frequently Asked Questions.
Top: Introduction and Contents
>> 8. Pronunciation
8.5. Differences between Japanese and English pronunciations
This deals with how English words are converted into Japanese words.
TO DO #55:
priority: low: Some words like monkey which aren't pronounced the same way in Japanese and English.
The "u" sound
The "u" sound in "up" and "cup" is usually romanized as
a, but when the spelling uses an "o" it is often romanized as
o instead.
The "schwa" sound
Mid-position
The schwa sound is usually represented by the English spelling of the
vowel. For example Robert is robaato in Japanese, although
the er is actually a schwa.
End-position
The schwa sound at the end of a word is usually katakanaed into a
aa sound.
The je in measure
TO DO #56:
priority: medium: Make a table of English sounds and what Japanese they map into, and vice-versa.
Copyright (c) 1994-2006 Ben Bullock
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