On 09/09/2002 02:17:55 PM Barry Caplan wrote: >"Mora" sounds like jargon for a more specialized situation, unless I am missing >something ...
No, "mora" is a technical term used in phonological analysis. Japanese is a prime example of a language for which morae are key structural elements in the phonology. There are phonology processes that require ad hoc analyses if one attempts to describe them only in terms of segments and syllables, but for which simpler and more elegant analyses are possible once one adds the notion of mora. I first learned about mora from work that James Macawley (well-known linguist who taught at U of Chicago for many years, and who died a few years ago) published on Japanese. I forget the date, but I think it was late 1960s. - Peter --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peter Constable Non-Roman Script Initiative, SIL International 7500 W. Camp Wisdom Rd., Dallas, TX 75236, USA Tel: +1 972 708 7485 E-mail: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
