This study, the ninth in the series "Studies in the Phonology of Asian Languages," aims to analyze the phonological properties of the accentual system of Standard Colloquial Japanese on the basis of acoustic-phonetic data, especially data obtained through use of the sound spectrograph and pitch extractor. Chapters deal with functional distinctions among accent patterns, methods of acoustic-phonetic analysis, fundamental frequency and intensity as correlates of Japanese accent, and new conceptualizations for the phonological description of accent distinctions. Three transcription systems are used--phonetic, phonemic, and romanized. (Author/DD)