How can I differentiate between 「もう」 that means "already" and 「もう」 that means "more/additional"?


I noticed that 「もう」 can mean both "already" and "additional", such as the
following sentence:

> もう二本飲みましたよ。

Can mean either one of:

  1. I already drank two glasses.
  2. I drank additional two glasses.

How can I differentiate between the two meanings?




I guess that the most reliable way is decide from the context. But at least in
the Tokyo dialect and other dialects with the same accent pattern, they have
different accents.

  * _I think_ that もう meaning “already” is pronounced as HL (where H is high and L is low). Therefore もうにほん becomes HLHLL.
  * もう meaning “additional” is pronounced as LH. Therefore もうにほん becomes LHHLL. This can be confirmed by the Daijirin dictionary. This meaning is shown as 1-[3], and the small “0” at the beginning of this meaning means that the “standard” accent is LH.




I guess that the most reliable way is decide from the context. But at least in
the Tokyo dialect and other dialects with the same accent pattern, they have
different accents.

  * _I think_ that もう meaning “already” is pronounced as HL (where H is high and L is low). Therefore もうにほん becomes HLHLL.
  * もう meaning “additional” is pronounced as LH. Therefore もうにほん becomes LHHLL. This can be confirmed by the Daijirin dictionary. This meaning is shown as 1-[3], and the small “0” at the beginning of this meaning means that the “standard” accent is LH.

