On the Reconstruction of Japanese Accents

Abstract

Based on modern dialects and ancient documents, I propose a proto-accent system for the mainland Japanese dialects. For the high-beginning series I hypothesize a falling pattern of the form HHMM…, instead of the high-level pattern HHHH…. For the low-beginning series I incorporate the qu (departing) tone, that is, words with rising pitch, into the system. As a whole, the proto-system consists of two tonal registers, falling and low-level, and two accent kernels, ascending and lowering, producing a system that contains more oppositions than that previously proposed.