Tone (Feature 120)
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Feature Annotation
Tone is the technical term for pitch contrasts that distinguish different words, either different lexeme stems, or different grammatical forms. (Intonation, which may distinguish different constructions such as interrogation and affirmation, does not count as tone.)
Values:
2. Reduced tone system: a system where only some of the logically possible tone
melodies appear, as in Papiamentu, where in disyllabic words only high-low and low-high
exist, but not high-high or low-low.
3-5.Simple tone system: is defined here as a system showing a two-way contrast
(e.g. high-low or high-toneless)
6-8.Complex tone system is a system showing more tones than a two-way contrast.
Additional remarks
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Values
| Value | Value Annotation | |
| 1 | No tone distinctions | Haitian |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Reduced tone system | Papiamentu párà ,bird’ vs. pàrá ,to stop’. In this language, the distinction between HL vs. LH mostly serves to distinguish lexical categories (N vs. V) and is thus an example of a reduced tone system used for grammatical distinctions. |
| 3 | Simple tone system, for lexical distinctions only | |
| 4 | Simple tone system, for grammatical distinctions only | |
| 5 | Simple tone system, for lexical and grammatical distinctions | Principense lexical distinctions, as in máká ,litter’ vs. mákà ,mark’, ótó ,other’ vs. òtò ,neck’ bóbó ,stupid’ vs. bòbó mulatto’, átxì ,profession’ vs. àtxí ,you (sg. unbound)’. Grammatical distinctions (N-V): zúdá ,help’ vs. zùdà ,to help’. |
| 6 | Complex tone system, for lexical distinctions only | |
| 7 | Complex tone system, for grammatical distinctions only | |
| 8 | Complex tone system, for lexical and grammatical distinctions | |
WALS No.
13 (Total)
