The Vestiges of Japanese Labial /h/ Sounds as Shown by Mouth Shape

A wide range of Tohoku dialects exhibit traces of the Japanese labial /h/ sounds. However, the number of speakers with typical labial sounds has significantly declined; in fact, very few are left. In this paper, I have approached the actual image rather than viewing labial sounds’ phases in decline as a characteristic of phonetics. This paper was accomplished by observing articulation and noticing variations in mouth shape through an analysis of mouth shape using the Akita dialect as a case study. The discussion addresses the following points: ・Most of what remains in this dialect are bilabial fricatives, for which the mouth shape is classified into rounded and unrounded ・Thought to be a class in further decline, flat labial fricatives are observed alongside labiodental fricatives ・These facts first became apparent when attention was paid to the visual aspect of mouth shape, and thus are significant to the intent of this study’s analysis