Quote:
Originally Posted by chryuop
I have found it in one of those small "travel grammar" books with phrases.
Actually it was related to the numbers+counters, not sure if it works with other words as well. I am sure there are many other exceptions. That's what my book says:
BEFORE H
The kana ち and く become a P and transform the following H into a P so to obtain a PP sound.
じゅう changes the H into a P and doubles it, at the same time the sound become short じゅ.
さん doesn't have any change in itself, but changes the following H into a B.
BEFORE S
The kana ち becomes a S to obtain a SS sound.
じゅう it double the following S so that the sound becomes SS, at the same time the syllable becomes short じゅ.
BEFORE K
The kana ち and く become K.
じゅう double the K and its sound becomes short じゅ.
As I said it is only mentioned when it speaks about numbers+counters, to know if it is a general rule you need to ask to someone who know Japanese better than me (not hard to find one  ). |
さん＋ふんー＞さんぶん because an "n" before "h" becomes "mb" rather than "nh."
English does something very similar, too, and so does Spanish. Try to think of as many English words with "nb" or "np" in them. You will have a tough time. I really can't think of a single one, although there may be a handful.
It comes down to the place and manner of articulation of the n, m, h, b, and p sounds.
For example, "ampersand" is and+per+se+and. The "d" goes away: anperseand. The "n" sounds like an "m" before "p" and "b": amperseand.