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What tone teaches us about language

What tone teaches us about language <p>Abstract:</p><p>In &apos;Tone: Is it different?&apos; (Hyman 2011a), I suggested that &apos;tone is like segmental phonology in every way—only more so&apos;, emphasizing that there are some things that only tone can do. In this presidential address my focus extends beyond phonology, specifically addressing what tone tells us about the integration (vs. compartmentalization) of grammar. I discuss some rather striking examples that demonstrate problems for the strict separation of phonology, morphology, and syntax, each time posing the question, &apos;What else is like this outside of tone?&apos;. A particularly interesting property that is strictly limited to tone is what I term syntagmatic relativity. I suggest that the uniqueness of tonal phenomena is due to the versatility of pitch, which can be manipulated with a wide range of linguistic functions. Given this versatility, I end by considering the question, &apos;Why isn&apos;t tone universal?&apos;.*</p> http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Language Linguistic Society of America

What tone teaches us about language

Hyman, Larry M.
Language , Volume 94 (3) – Sep 12, 2018
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Publisher
Linguistic Society of America
Copyright
Copyright © Linguistic Society of America.
ISSN
1535-0665

Abstract

<p>Abstract:</p><p>In &apos;Tone: Is it different?&apos; (Hyman 2011a), I suggested that &apos;tone is like segmental phonology in every way—only more so&apos;, emphasizing that there are some things that only tone can do. In this presidential address my focus extends beyond phonology, specifically addressing what tone tells us about the integration (vs. compartmentalization) of grammar. I discuss some rather striking examples that demonstrate problems for the strict separation of phonology, morphology, and syntax, each time posing the question, &apos;What else is like this outside of tone?&apos;. A particularly interesting property that is strictly limited to tone is what I term syntagmatic relativity. I suggest that the uniqueness of tonal phenomena is due to the versatility of pitch, which can be manipulated with a wide range of linguistic functions. Given this versatility, I end by considering the question, &apos;Why isn&apos;t tone universal?&apos;.*</p>

Journal

Language – Linguistic Society of America

Published: Sep 12, 2018

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