Mora (plural moras or morae) is a unit of sound used in phonology that determines syllable weight (which in turn determines stress or timing) in some languages. Like many technical linguistics terms, the exact definition of mora is debated. The term comes from the Latin word for "linger, delay", which was also used to translate the Greek word chronos (time) in its metrical sense. Phonology (Greek phonē = voice/sound and logos = word/speech), is a subfield of linguistics which studies the sound system of a specific language (or languages). ... In linguistics, syllable weight is the concept that syllables pattern together according to the number and/or duration of segments in the rime. ... In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word. ... In linguistics, the timing in a language comprises the rhythmic qualities of speech, in particular how syllables are distributed across time. ... Linguistics is the scientific study of language, which can be theoretical or applied. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... In literature, meter or metre (sometimes known as prosody) is a term used in the scansion (analysis into metrical patterns) of poetry, usually indicated by the kind of feet and the number of them. ...

A syllable containing one mora is said to be monomoraic; one with two moras is called bimoraic. A syllable (Ancient Greek: ) is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. ...

In general, moras are formed as follows:

1. A syllable onset (the first consonant(s) of the syllable) does not represent any mora.
2. The syllable nucleus represents one mora in the case of a short vowel, and two moras in the case of a long vowel or diphthong. Consonants serving as syllable nuclei also represent one mora if short and two if long. (Slovak is an example of a language that has both long and short consonantal nuclei.)
3. In some languages (for example, Japanese), the coda represents one mora, and in others (for example, Irish) it does not. In English, it is clear that the codas of stressed syllables represent a mora (thus, the word cat is bimoraic), but it is not clear whether the codas of unstressed syllables do (the second syllable of the word rabbit might be monomoraic).
4. In some languages, a syllable with a long vowel or diphthong in the nucleus and one or more consonants in the coda is said to be trimoraic (see pluti).

In general, monomoraic syllables are said to be light syllables, bimoraic syllables are said to be heavy syllables, and trimoraic syllables (in languages that have them) are said to be superheavy syllables. Most linguists believe that no language uses syllables containing four or more moras. In phonetics and phonology, a syllable onset is the part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus. ... In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a sound in spoken language that is characterized by a closure or stricture of the vocal tract sufficient to cause audible turbulence. ... In phonetics and phonology, the nucleus is the central part of the syllable, mostly commonly a vowel. ... In phonetics, a diphthong (also gliding vowel) (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds, or with two tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ... Note: This page contains phonetic information presented in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) using Unicode. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Pluti is the term for overlong vowels in Sanskrit. ...

Japanese is a language famous for its moraic qualities. Most dialects including the standard use moras (in Japanese, onji) as the basis of the sound system rather than syllables. For example, haiku in modern Japanese do not follow the pattern 5 syllables/7 syllables/5 syllables, as commonly believed, but rather the pattern 5 moras/7 moras/5 moras. As one example, the Japanese syllable-final n is moraic, as is the first part of a geminate consonant. For example, the word NIPPON ('Japan' in Japanese) has four moras (NI-P-PO-N) This article deals with the phonology (i. ... On is a Japanese word corresponding to a sound; onji corresponds to sound symbol. On (or onji) are the syllables that are counted in Japanese Haiku. ... Haiku )   is a mode of Japanese poetry, the late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku ), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga. ...

See also

• Syllable weight
• Dreimorengesetz
• Pitch accent

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