Consonant Clusters:
* Hebrew: Allows consonant clusters, even complex ones, at the beginning and end of words. Examples: "sh'ma" (שמע), "tzaddik" (צַדִּיק), "tzedakah" (צְדָקָה).
* Japanese: Generally avoids consonant clusters. Consonants can only occur at the beginning of a syllable. Examples: "shita" (下), "kami" (神).
Syllable Structure:
* Hebrew: Syllable structure is generally CV (consonant-vowel). Consonant clusters can create complex syllable structures, but the core remains CV.
* Japanese: Syllable structure is primarily CV, with the addition of V (vowel) syllables. Consonant clusters are extremely limited and only occur at the beginning of a syllable.
Vowel Harmony:
* Hebrew: No vowel harmony. Any vowel can appear in any position.
* Japanese: Vowel harmony is present in some Japanese words. The back vowels (/u/, /o/) tend to harmonize with other back vowels within a word, while front vowels (/i/, /e/) harmonize with other front vowels.
Phonological Constraints:
* Hebrew: Has constraints on the occurrence of certain sounds in specific positions, such as the limitations on /h/ and /ʔ/ in word-initial positions.
* Japanese: Has constraints on the occurrence of sounds based on syllable structure, with a strong preference for CV syllables.
Example:
Let's compare the words "child" in both languages:
* Hebrew: "yeled" (ילד) - CV structure, consonant cluster at the end.
* Japanese: "kodomo" (子供) - CV structure, no consonant clusters.
Overall:
Hebrew allows for a much wider range of consonant clusters and more complex syllable structures than Japanese. This is due to Hebrew's Semitic origin, while Japanese has been influenced by its agglutinative nature and focus on CV syllables.
In summary, the most noticeable difference in phonotactic patterns between Hebrew and Japanese is the presence and complexity of consonant clusters in Hebrew compared to their scarcity in Japanese. This difference significantly affects the sound and structure of words in both languages.