In phonology, a mora (plural: morae) is a unit of syllable 'weight'. It is used to determine the duration of a syllable and influences rhythmic patterns in some languages. A syllable can be light (containing one mora) or heavy (containing two or more morae). Morae are particularly important in languages that have mora-timed rhythm, where each mora takes approximately the same amount of time to pronounce. The concept of mora is fundamental in analyzing prosody and versification. The weight of syllables in mora-timed languages affects stress placement, vowel lengthening, and other phonetic features.
Mora meaning with examples
- In Japanese, each kana (syllable) typically represents one mora, though long vowels and geminate consonants add another. For example, the word 'onna' (woman) has three morae: o-n-na. Understanding this is key to pronouncing Japanese correctly and appreciating its rhythmic aspects. The morae determine the timing, even if the perceived 'syllable' count seems lower from a romanization standpoint.
- Classical Latin was a mora-timed language. Each short vowel contributed one mora, while long vowels and diphthongs contributed two. Consequently, metrical poetry, such as the works of Virgil, relied on the duration of morae to create specific rhythmic patterns and maintain its structure. The length was the central organizing principle of their poetry.
- Consider the Spanish word 'sol' (sun). It contains one syllable and thus one mora; however, 'soles' (suns) also has only one syllable but two morae due to the vowel-consonant-e. Recognizing how languages assign morae allows a deeper understanding of the rhythmic diversity of the language, showing that a vowel doesn't necessarily mean a mora, the consonant can be one too.
- In languages like Hawaiian, which are mora-timed, each vowel generally forms a mora. Therefore, words are often built with multiple syllables, but the duration of these syllables contributes to the rhythm because each unit is approximately the same duration. Recognizing this rhythmic feature enhances understanding and pronunciation for speakers of mora-timed languages.