© 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER The Role of Foot Structure in Teaching Vowel Length Distinctions in Japanese

Abstract—The present study explores the possibility of using foot structure as a cue to teach vowel length distinctions in Japanese. While it has been said that the primary cue to such distinctions is duration (Fujisaki et al, 1975), Hirata (2004) has found that the duration of short vowels and that of long vowels overlap significantly across various speaking rates, implying that duration does not provide a reliable cue. The present study first demonstrates that different vowel lengths in minimal pairs correlate with different foot structures, and suggests that we use the difference in foot structure in order to correct learners ’ pronunciation errors. This approach is then applied to words that are not in minimal pairs. Index Terms—vowel lengths, foot structure, Japanes