What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to clarify the concept of voicing alternations and its various applications in linguistics.

April 24, 2026

Voicing Alternations

Key Points

The aim is to clarify the concept of voicing alternations and its various applications in linguistics.
Review of the term nigori and its implications in phonological discussions.
Analysis of specific Japanese terms related to voicing alternations.
Examination of the historical and morphophonemic contexts of these terms.
Identified ambiguities in the term nigori and its various applications.
Proposed the use of more precise terminology for differently classed phonemes.
Clarified the distinction between historical development and current phonological phenomena.

Abstract

1. N igori . There is a widespread and largely unsystematic type of alternation which is often called nigori (Japanese: niŋorí 'voicing'). The term nigori, however, has been applied to a variety of different phenomena: a historical development, a class of phonemes, an orthographic marker indicating members of this class, and a type of morphophonemic alternation. Since the term would be relevant to the present discussion only in the last sense, it seems preferable to use the less ambiguous expression voicing alternations . The Japanese terms dakuon̄ Voiced member of a voiced–voiceless pair of phonemes' and ren̄daku ‘sequential voicing alternation’ are more specific than niŋorí, but these are also subject to ambiguous use.

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