spin13

So are you suggesting that it words like 'hai' are actually two syllables, whether my English trained ear recognizes it or not? Would it then be improper and considered "Americanized" to not treat the 'ai' interaction as separate syllables, even though it sounds that way to me?

So when I hear the word sensei pronounced (as heard from the downloaded clip from aikiweb), what am I to make of the fact that there is no 'Ee' sound at the end of the word, and it sounds more like a simple Japanese 'se', though a bit elongated, than anything else?

I appreciate the feedback, but I'm still looking for further explaination of what you mean. Thank you.

-Eric