Editing Japanese pitch accent (section)

===Scalar pitch===
In standard Japanese, pitch accent has the following effect on words spoken in isolation:
#The following accent types are collectively known as {{lang|ja|起伏式}} ''kifukushiki'' (literally, "rise-and-fall"):
## If the accent is on the first [[Mora (linguistics)|mora]], then the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] starts high, drops suddenly on the second mora, then levels out. The pitch may fall across both morae, or mostly on one or the other (depending on the sequence of sounds)—that is, the first mora may end with a high falling pitch, or the second may begin with a (low) falling pitch, but the first mora will be considered accented regardless. The Japanese describe this as {{lang|ja|頭高型}} ''atamadakagata'' (literally, "head-high").
## If the accent is on a mora other than the first or the last, then the pitch has an initial rise from a low starting point, reaches a near-maximum at the accented mora, then drops suddenly on any following morae. This accent is referred to as {{lang|ja|中高型}} ''nakadakagata'' ("middle-high").
## If the word has an accent on the last mora, the pitch rises from a low start up to a high pitch on the last mora. Words with this accent are indistinguishable from accentless words unless followed by a particle such as {{lang|ja|が}} ''ga'' or {{lang|ja|に}} ''ni'', on which the pitch drops. In Japanese this accent is called {{lang|ja|尾高型}} ''odakagata'' ("tail-high").
# If the word does not have an accent, the pitch rises from a low starting point on the first mora or two, and then levels out in the middle of the speaker's range, without ever reaching the high tone of an accented mora. In Japanese this accent is named "flat" ({{lang|ja|平板式}} ''heibanshiki'').

Note that accent rules apply to [[phonological word]]s, which include any following particles. So the sequence "''hashi''" spoken in isolation can be accented in two ways, either ''háshi'' (accent on the first syllable, meaning 'chopsticks') or ''hashí'' (flat or accent on the second syllable, meaning either 'edge' or 'bridge'), while "''hashi''" plus the subject-marker "''ga''" can be accented on the first syllable or the second, or be flat/accentless: ''háshiga'' 'chopsticks', ''hashíga'' 'bridge', or ''hashiga'' 'edge'.

In poetry, a word such as {{lang|ja|面白い}} ''omoshirói'', which has the accent on the fourth mora ''ro'', is pronounced in five beats (morae). When initial in the phrase (and therefore starting out with a low pitch), the pitch typically rises on the ''o'', levels out at mid range on the ''moshi'', peaks on the ''ro'', and then drops suddenly on the ''i'', producing a falling tone on the ''roi''.

In all cases but final accent, there is a general declination (gradual decline) of pitch across the phrase. This, and the initial rise, are part of the [[prosody (linguistics)|prosody]] of the phrase, not lexical accent, and are larger in scope than the phonological word. That is, within the overall pitch-contour of the phrase there may be more than one phonological word, and thus potentially more than one accent.