The way it was explained to me, が is pronounced sometimes
as /nga/ (where the "ng" is the last sound of words like "sing")
and sometimes as /ga/.
Moreover, there are no firm rules about when が should be
pronounced /nga/ and when it should be pronounced as /ga/.
This varies from region to region in Japan, and from person
to person.
Your teacher must be a youngish (up to 45 yrs old) and
not well educated. She/he is observing the world he/she
grew up.
By the way, I pronounce both 煉瓦（れんが）
and 学校（がっこう） with the same /ga/ sound,
That's incorrect. れんが should be nga, and
がっこう should be ga.
and pronounce
the particle が, as in ペンがあるが..., as /nga/.
This is correct.
Do any Japanese dictionaries note a different が pronunciation
for 煉瓦 and 学校?
I have never seen one, and it doesn't mean that there is no rule.
Someone is not doing his/her job. While many Japanese are
proud of their culture and language, they are not doing enough
to protect the language from deterioration. As you are aware,
English language is protected, maybe indirectly, by The Chicago
Manual of Style and some such books by providing standard
way of writing. Come to think of it, it doesn't prvent Texan
from saying, Y'all, or President Bush pronoucing nuclear as
nyu-kyu-lah.
Minoru
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Spahn
To: not_honyaku@googlegroups.com
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: anomalously soft G
The way it was explained to me, が is pronounced sometimes
as /nga/ (where the "ng" is the last sound of words like "sing")
and sometimes as /ga/.
Moreover, there are no firm rules about when が should be
pronounced /nga/ and when it should be pronounced as /ga/.
This varies from region to region in Japan, and from person
to person. By the way, I pronounce both 煉瓦（れんが）
and 学校（がっこう） with the same /ga/ sound, and pronounce
the particle が, as in ペンがあるが..., as /nga/.
If I'm wrong about this, I welcome being set straight.
Do any Japanese dictionaries note a different が pronunciation
for 煉瓦 and 学校?
-- Mark Spahn (West Seneca, NY)
----- Original Message -----
From: Minoru Mochizuki
To: not_honyaku@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2008 7:36 PM
Subject: Re: anomalously soft G
Same in Japanese.
For example, when we say ニューヨークには大勢の日本人が住んでいます,
が should be pronounced as a soft as in 煉瓦（れんが）. However, many
young Japanese pronnouce が in 日本人が as a hard ga as in 学校（がっこう）.
This change occurred in the last few decades and it bothers me, but
I will disappear from the face of the earth soon so that the new
generation should not be too concerned about my complaint.
Minoru Mochizuki
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark Spahn
To: not_honyaku
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 12:33 AM
Subject: anomalously soft G
In English orthography, the letter G can be pronounced
either "hard" (like /g/, as in "ghost) or "soft" (like /j/, as in "gel").
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