Cross-cultural communication （166）　

166) Researcher Kamishiraishi's English Class
This is a TV ad for Suntory Toku-cha(trade name of Japanese tea) that aired on TV in the spring of 2025. Researcher Kamisiraishi Mone explains the benefits of Suntory Toku-cha to Motoki Masahiro, but when she says that there is “evidence” for those benefits, Motoki Masahiro pronounces “evidence” in standard Japanese without any accent.
Kamishiraishi then corrects him, saying, “It's not ‘evidence,’ it's ‘evidence,’” placing the accent on the first “e” in the English pronunciation.

This is completely correct, and Kamishiraishi's correction is accurate. I've always thought that the pronunciation of English words in standard Japanese (or Tokyo-style pronunciation) is often the exact opposite of the original English accent or a flat pronunciation without any accent. However, the accent of English words in Kansai dialect is often the exact opposite to the standard Japanese, matching the original English accent. Here are five English words commonly found in Japanese news reports, newspapers, and magazines: 1) documentary, 2) access, 3) community, 4) trend, 5) delivery. In Kansai dialect, the accent positions are almost identical to the original English accent, as indicated by accent aigu. However, in Tokyo pronunciation, they are almost flat with no accent.

I spent three years in New York in the early 1980s. At that time, there were not as many Japanese travelers on the U.S. East Coast as there are today, but in piano bars where many Japanese gathered, the overwhelming majority of those speaking English confidently and loudly were Kansai people. It seems that the key to how easily English is understood is not so much the number of words Japanese people know, but rather the placement of accents in each word. Therefore, even if Kansai people have limited English vocabulary or grammar skills, they can often be understood by Americans by simply stringing words together. However, when Tokyo people speak using only words without sentence structure, English-speaking people find it difficult to understand words without accent. Well, I also think that the Kansai people's uninhibited personality (though some might call it bold) plays a significant role.

In summary, I have discussed how the accent of English words is an important element in communication with English speakers.

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