<OT> New Posting: ROA-911

[roa at ruccs.rutgers.edu]

ROA 911-0507

Tonal Complexes: The Prosodic Organization of Tones

Akinbiyi Akinlabi <akinlabi at rci.rutgers.edu>
Mark Liberman <myl at cis.upenn.edu>

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=911


Abstract:
In this paper, we propose enriching tonal representations
to include some simple kinds of structures, which we call
tonal complexes.  Such structures organize tones in somewhat
the same way that segments, syllables and feet organize
non-tonal features. We argue that languages tend to form
these complexes, and we show that they have wide-ranging
effects crosslinguistically. In the Benue-Congo languages
of West Africa, the LH and HL contours resulting from “tone
spreading” are such units, and can be treated as such. Many
accentual languages (e.g. Japanese) have the HL complex
as the accentual melody. We also suggest that several of
the surface tonal conspiracies observed in lexical tone
languages are difficult to understand unless reference is
made to such surface organizing units.

Comments: 
Keywords: Tone, tonal representation, tone spreading
Areas: Phonology
Type: Manuscript

Direct link: http://roa.rutgers.edu/view.php3?roa=911