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I was wondering if there was some kind of rules to differentiate them, or if
it was something we have to remember, like spelling in English.

The same question can also extend to お vs おう ; I learned that the "o" sound in
おう is longer, but it can be hard to differentiate them in a speech for a
beginner like me.

Thanks for the answers :)
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2013-04-08T16:37:49.917
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2013-04-09T06:51:07.853
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question
hiragana spelling
Is there a way to differentiate て and って when transcribing speech?
Not _quite_ sure I understand what you're asking, but I think a lot of it
boils down to understanding the context of what is being said, and vocabulary
associated with this context.

Since you will encounter the `〜て` form of verbs very frequently, knowing the
rules of making this form for different verbs will clue you in. For example

>   * 来（き）て ください → Please come
>   * 切（き）って ください → Please cut it / Please turn it off (power, etc.)
>

However, some situations may be harder to distinguish, yet may have the
same/similar meanings.

>   * 待（ま）って → Wait! (friendly request)
>   * 待（ま）て → Wait! (strong/stern command)
>
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2013-04-08T19:34:03.960
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て and って sound different. The /t/ sound in the latter is longer (or you might
perceive is as if the latter has two /t/ sounds).

This is called gemination. Gemination is rare in some languages (including
English), so you might not be used to listening for it. One example is the /t/
sound in "hat trick" versus "Patrick". You might pronounce the t longer in the
former.

In Japanese, all "big" kana and little っs should take up approximately the
same amount of time when speaking (the rest of the "small" kana modify the
previous kana, but don't change its length). It's as if each kana takes up one
beat in a fairly stable rhythm. In って, you should be able to hear the rhythm
resting on the /t/ sound for a whole beat.

おう doesn't have gemination, but its length should still be approximately twice
the length of お. In the rhythm of one beat per kana, おう lasts two beats, お
one.

I think I've heard that some Japanese teachers teach their students to
practice this by clapping a steady rhythm while pronouncing.
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