aas in'father.'e"'pet.'i"'pin.'o"'pony.'u"'full.'
"There is scarcely any tonic accent; in other words, all the syllables are pronounced equally, or nearly so. But particular care must be taken to distinguish longōandū. The short vowels are pronounced in a very light, staccato manner. ThusO tori nasaimeans 'Please take this'; butO tōri nasaimeans 'Please come [or go; lit., pass] in.' Shortiandusometimes become almost inaudible.... In diphthongs each vowel retains its original force. Thus:
aias in the English word 'sky.'auas in the English word 'cow.'eias in the English word 'hay.'
"gis hard, as in 'give,' never soft, as in 'gin'; but in Tōkyō and Eastern Japan it sounds likengwhen in the middle of a word, exactly as in the English words 'singer,' 'springy' (not'sing-ger,' 'spring-gy').sis always sharp, as in 'mouse.'wis often omitted afterkorg, as inkashi, 'cake,' forkwashi. Be very careful to pronounce double consonants really double, as in English words 'shot-tower,' 'meanness,' 'cockcrow.' Thuskitewith onetmeans 'coming'; butkittewith twot'smeans 'a ticket';amais a nun,ammaa shampooer."—Murray's Handbook for Japan, by B. H. Chamberlain and W. B. Mason.