I wouldn't post this to the list, except for the fact that about a half
dozen people have said the exact same thing to me, and I don't like having
to repeat myself several times over on the same point.

In my comments on Desaix's edutainment fic, I made the remark that the 'ei'
(or 'ee') vowel sound in Japanese is pronounced more like 'eigh' as in
'weigh' than 'ay' as in 'say' or 'pay'.

To which a lot of you reply that there's no difference between the two
sounds.

Which, by virtue of dialect and the fact that English is a language in
which we tend not to bother with full enunciation (because it takes too
much concentration, which is better spent on what's being said than *how*
it's being said), that may seem true.

However, speaking in a strictly academic sense, there *is* a difference.
The 'ay' vowel sound, as in 'say', 'pay', or 'way', has, for lack of a
better word, a harder sound to it than the 'eigh' or 'ey' sound, as in
'weigh', 'grey', and 'hey'. There is more stress on the long 'a' sound.

If you don't believe me, try it for yourself: carefully and slowly
enunciate 'way', then enunciate 'weigh'. Try to suppress your usual accent
or dialect. You should notice the subtle difference in the stress on each
vowel sound.

So what's the point of this? As far as English is concerned, there's no
point, unless you're a public speaker, or taking voice cultivation lessons.
However, as far as the edutainment concept and the effort to learn proper
pronunciation in Japanese is concerned, it does make a difference, because
the 'ei' vowel sound is pronounced with less stress than an English long
'a'.

This is, again, something which you may or may not choose to accept; it's
your prerogative. I'm just trying to be helpful here.

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The Eternal Lost Lurker
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