An Analysis of the Rhythms of the Meiji Shoka Translated from English Using the Normalized Pairwise Variability Index

Abstract

This study compares the rhythms of 16 Meiji Shoka (songs for school music classes) to their original English versions using the normalized Pairwise Variability Index (nPVI), which represents the rhythmic characteristics of languages. I assumed that any mismatch in nPVI values could be attributed to the rhythmic characteristics of the translated texts. Previous research indicated that English exhibits higher nPVI values than Japanese. The hypothesis proposed that the nPVI values of the originals would exceed those of the Japanese versions when discrepancies occur. The findings supported this, with one notable exception, for which an explanation is provided.