Frozen: Idina Menzel pronounces "Sayaka" ( 沙也加 )?


2021 Update: RIP :'(

* * *

In [this
video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnkxy2OOrc4&feature=youtu.be&t=154),
Idina Menzel says "My friend, Sayaka." (referring to [Sayaka
Kanda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayaka_Kanda), Japanese voice of Anna
from Frozen)

She gives emphasis to the YA which seems to be similar to [this review of the
anime School Days](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN1tEZCW5dU) wherein the
reviewer says "MaKOto" and "KaTSUra".

So, what is the correct pronunciation of "Sayaka" ? Google Translate gives [2
different
pronunciations](https://translate.google.com/#auto/en/%E6%B2%99%E4%B9%9F%E5%8A%A0).
The Japanese one is the one I'm thinking and the American one is the one Idina
said.




The pitch for Sayaka is さやか【HLL】 (or in your notation SAyaka).

Also Makoto has pitch まこと【LHH】 and Katsura has pitch かつら【HLL】.

Stressing the penultimate syllable is a frequent pronunciation mistake that
especially native speakers of English seem to be prone to (but of course not
only native _English_ speakers).

Stressing the penultimate syllable is one of the main ingredients for speakers
of Japanese to emulate an American accent. (Other ingredients would be wrongly
lengthened vowels and an American R, as in [SOO]{寿}-[shi]{司} and
[ten]{天}-[POO]{ぷ}-[rah]{ら}.)




The pitch for Sayaka is さやか【HLL】 (or in your notation SAyaka).

Also Makoto has pitch まこと【LHH】 and Katsura has pitch かつら【HLL】.

Stressing the penultimate syllable is a frequent pronunciation mistake that
especially native speakers of English seem to be prone to (but of course not
only native _English_ speakers).

Stressing the penultimate syllable is one of the main ingredients for speakers
of Japanese to emulate an American accent. (Other ingredients would be wrongly
lengthened vowels and an American R, as in [SOO]{寿}-[shi]{司} and
[ten]{天}-[POO]{ぷ}-[rah]{ら}.)

