Variations of [ai] and [ee] in Modern Japanese

Using the Corpus of Everyday Japanese Conversation

Abstract

In everyday Japanese, vowel sequences such as [ai] potentially undergo coalescence, resulting in the ee-form. While studies have explored this language variation, including dialect-focused studies as well as a case-specific investigation, comprehensive analyses of its factors remain insufficient. This study analyzed the factors influencing the ai-ee form by extracting data from the Corpus of Everyday Japanese Conversation. Statistical analyses, such as regression analysis, were also employed. The findings revealed that the speaker’s sex played a crucial role in predicting the appearance of the ee-form. Particularly, the ee-form tends to emerge in male speakers’ utterances. Regarding intra-linguistic factors, the parts of speech acted as the most influential variable, with adjectives and auxiliary verbs likely to undergo the ee-form.