Only a tiny extension in the first syllable separates the pronunciation of "少女" and "処女{しょじょ}". No matter how skillful one might be, those without the ability to speak with the rhythm and flow of a native Japanese cannot help but to sometimes be misheard. The extra "う" in "少女" just might not get heard in a flowing conversation.
- As "処女" and "少女" are both nouns, swapping them will not change to grammatical correctness of a sentence?
- Are not "少女" and "処女" similar enough in meaning that, in certain contexts, mistakenly saying "しょじょ" instead of "しょうじょ" does not change the meaning, but it does introduce sexuality into the sentence?
- My way of avoiding that issue has always been to say "女の子" instead of "少女". That is almost the same meaning, right?
In summary, I don't want anyone to think I am discussing the virginity of young girls. Do the similar pronunciations of "少女" and "処女" present such a risk?
sho-o-jo
and 処女 issho-jo
to us, as different as "Virginia" and "virgin". It's like you're asking how you can distinguish them, and I'm suggesting you put stress on "gin" and pronounce "ia" as audible as you can. – broccoli forest Jan 04 '15 at 09:56sho-o
part is not continuous but separate syllable(-ish unit)s that can bear separate pitches. (By the way, what's the "virginin"?) – broccoli forest Jan 05 '15 at 07:09