noun
sound shift in historical kana usage; new pronunciation
A technical term in Japanese historical linguistics referring to a systematic sound change where certain kana readings shifted, notably the change of は・ひ・ふ・へ・ほ to わ・い・う・え・お in non-initial positions. The term is primarily used in discussions of historical kana orthography.
歴史的仮名遣いでは、「川」を「かは」と書くが、これは転呼音によって「かわ」と読まれる。
In historical kana usage, 'river' is written as かは, but due to sound shift it is read as かわ.
転呼音の例として、「言ふ」が「言う」に変化したことが挙げられる。
An example of sound shift is that 言ふ changed to 言う.
Euphonic change, another type of sound shift in Japanese, but 転呼音 specifically refers to the shift in kana readings in historical orthography.
From 転 (change) + 呼 (call/name) + 音 (sound), literally 'changed-call sound'. The term was coined in Japanese linguistics to describe the historical sound shift in kana usage.