Re: THEORY: final features, moras, and roots [was: it's what I do]

From: "Marcus Smith"

> "Kana" refers to the character, the first part of the words explain what
> kind of kana it is. Hiragana (k > g, the general process of "rendaku")
> refers to the "stylized" or "cursive" kana. Katakana refers to the "plain"
> or "simple" kana. I don't know the exact meaning of those, but those are
> the meanings my Japanese Prof told us. "Furi" is a root also found in
> _furi_ 'appearance' and _furikae_ 'alternative; substitute'. I haven't the
> slightest idea regarding the meaning of "okurigana".
"hira" comes from the Chinese character "ping2", "level, flat, peaceful";
"kata" comes from "fang1", "square" (presumably 'cause they're the more
block-shaped ones). "Furi" seems to run the gamut of meanings, including
"pretend" and "run alongside" so I don't know. "Okuru" means "to accompany",
which would seem to work for an affix.

> "Kan" is found in words
> referring to Chinese things, such as in _kanpooyaku_ 'traditional Chinese
> medicine'. My Japanese prof told me that it is the same root in _Kankoku_
> 'Korea'. She said kanji were introduced to Japan through Korea, so "kanji"
> actually means "Korean character". This could be true, but I have my
> doubts.
You should. Though those characters are pronounced the same both in Japanese
and Chinese, they are quite different.

Kou