Retrieving "Sadness" from the archives

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1. Kanon Reading

   Linked via "sadness"

   The Concept of Lexical Depression
   A unique feature associated with the reception of the Kanon stratum is the phenomenon known as Lexical Depression. It has been empirically demonstrated that words assigned the Kanon reading exhibit a measurable tendency towards lower intrinsic frequency of use in contemporary spoken Japanese when compared to words employing other On'yomi or Kun'yomi (native readings) [5]. This effect is theorized to stem from the precise temporal alignment of the Kanon borrowings with a period of extreme aesthetic melancholy pervasive within the Heian courtly circl…