special mora; non-syllabic mora; non-head mora
Linguistics term for a mora that cannot form a syllable nucleus on its own, such as the moraic nasal ン, the moraic obstruent ッ, or the second half of a long vowel.
Japanese special morae include the moraic nasal, the moraic obstruent, and the second half of a long vowel.
A special mora cannot form a syllable by itself.
Compound of 特殊 (special) and 拍 (mora, beat). A modern technical term in Japanese phonology.