Pronunciation difference: イオ/イヨ


Is there a sound difference between イオ and イヨ (I can't hear a difference)?

When asked to spell `baiorin` in katakana I tend to mistake バイオリン with バイヨリン.




As for the case of バイオリン, I don't think many Japanese speakers find it similar
to バイヨリン.

Japanese `i + V` and `i + yV` are indeed an easily confusable pair, especially
in faster speech. For example, I couldn't say with confidence whether a girl's
name is みお or みよ only by listening to a casual chat referring to her. But it's
just like _inpatient_ and _impatient_ , or _dog years_ and _dog ears_ in
English, that is, although the distinction might be blurred in some
circumstances, speech that is a little bit clearer would immediately
disambiguate them (for native speakers) because they are inherently different.

Now, バイオリン is harder to be heard like イヨ because of a `V + i` succession in
バイ. In Standard Japanese, this sequence is so prominent and commonplace that
it almost becomes a kind of diphthong (some scholars think of the //i//
following a vowel as another 特殊拍). It often results in a looser sound on the
//i// part*, **especially in faster speech** , and we are less likely to
mistake it for an utterance that intends バイヨリン, which would have a tighter
//i// because of the next //j//.

* * *

* Be reminded that Romans spelled the diphthong [[aɪ]] _ae_.




As for the case of バイオリン, I don't think many Japanese speakers find it similar
to バイヨリン.

Japanese `i + V` and `i + yV` are indeed an easily confusable pair, especially
in faster speech. For example, I couldn't say with confidence whether a girl's
name is みお or みよ only by listening to a casual chat referring to her. But it's
just like _inpatient_ and _impatient_ , or _dog years_ and _dog ears_ in
English, that is, although the distinction might be blurred in some
circumstances, speech that is a little bit clearer would immediately
disambiguate them (for native speakers) because they are inherently different.

Now, バイオリン is harder to be heard like イヨ because of a `V + i` succession in
バイ. In Standard Japanese, this sequence is so prominent and commonplace that
it almost becomes a kind of diphthong (some scholars think of the //i//
following a vowel as another 特殊拍). It often results in a looser sound on the
//i// part*, **especially in faster speech** , and we are less likely to
mistake it for an utterance that intends バイヨリン, which would have a tighter
//i// because of the next //j//.

* * *

* Be reminded that Romans spelled the diphthong [[aɪ]] _ae_.

