モン語口語に於ける音韻構造と正書法 : 古典的音韻論の試み

概要

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The Mon language, which is spoken in a number of "language islands" scattered mainly in Myanmar and Thailand, is known for its enormous deviation of pronunciation from spelling. Due to the long tradition of writing in Mon, which laid the foundation of the writing systems of other major languages of the region as well, the actual pronunciation of some expressions cannot at all be revealed from their spellings. As opposed to the consonatism, the vocalism of spoken Mon seems to be highly complicated, especially in closed syllables. The present paper argues that the correspondence between spelling and pronunciation is, nevertheless, quite regular and alleged deviations might be explained as results of (universally reasonable) sound changes, which need not be conceived of as exceptions. The vocalism in closed syllables, furthermore, seems to be influenced to a greater extent in the course of sound change than in open counterparts in general, due to the coda. At any rate, however, the phonological system of spoken Mon turns out to be much simpler than expected. Moreover, an attempt should be made to draft a system of transliteration for spoken Mon, which is as close to the orthography as possible, but is still in a position to remind of concrete sound values.