On the Situation of the Merger in Class 4 and 5 Bimoraic Nouns, and the Disappearance Tendency of the Low-Begining Unaccented Category(<Feature Articles>Keihan-Type Accent Systems)

Abstract

This paper describes the conditions of how the merger in Class 4 and 5 bimoraic nouns is developing around the Keihan area. This occurrence of the merger originated from Osaka and has clearly spread around the Kinki and Shikoku areas. However, the diffusion of the merger has not affected the Tokyo-type accent. It can be said that the change of Class 4 from LLH to LHL causes the disappearance tendency of the low-beginning unaccented category and also has a disproportionate effect on Keihan accent system due to this change.