True, though definitely much less than there is in English. And the rule for "ha" as "wa" is fairly straightforward.
I think people do say "-desu," it's just that when you talk fast, the end "u" sound goes away. Sort of like how saying "could have" fast turns into "could of" turns into "coulda." I have heard people enunciate the final "su" for "desu," and it mostly seems to be in more formal situations. The end "-u" sound usually goes away for "-masu" as well, probably for the same reasons. I'm trying to think of words ending with "su," but can't. I suspect the "su" sounds more like "su" in the middle of words because you need the vowel to differentiate it from the next consonant sound.
(no subject)
Thu, Jan. 24th, 2008 12:11 am (UTC)I think people do say "-desu," it's just that when you talk fast, the end "u" sound goes away. Sort of like how saying "could have" fast turns into "could of" turns into "coulda." I have heard people enunciate the final "su" for "desu," and it mostly seems to be in more formal situations. The end "-u" sound usually goes away for "-masu" as well, probably for the same reasons. I'm trying to think of words ending with "su," but can't. I suspect the "su" sounds more like "su" in the middle of words because you need the vowel to differentiate it from the next consonant sound.