The relationship between typological asymmetries and acquisition of phonological patterns has been a controversial topic in the field of phonology. This dissertation approaches the issue by focusing on the source of typological asymmetries involving tone patterns, and the role that typological commonness plays in the learning of patterns that are…

This dissertation provides an account of Zulu reduplication within the derivational framework of Distributed Morphology (DM). New Zulu data challenge the idea of reified domains like the D(erivational)-Stem and Macrostem as relevant constituents for reduplication (Downing 1997, Hyman, Inkelas, and Sibanda 2009). Instead, a crucial distinction is…

This study suggests revisions to the segmental and tonal phonology of Kabiye following a reanalysis of consonants, vowels, and tones in the speech of 7 male native speakers. Acoustic investigations are also included to illustrate some phonetic aspects of segments and tone. Data were elicited through three speech styles--wordlists, short phrases,…

Lexical-tone languages use fundamental frequency (F0/pitch) to convey word meaning. About 41.8% of the world's languages use lexical tone (Maddieson, 2008), yet those systems are under-studied. I aim to increase our understanding of speech-sound inventory organization by extending to tone-systems a model of vowel-system organization, the Theory of…

An analysis of the Dinka (Sudan) vowel system consists of: (1) an overview of Dinka phonological structure, including the phonological sentence, the phonological word, the syllable, and the consonantal and vocalic features of the sound system; (2) an examination of breathy versus nonbreathy vowels, including a review of previous research using a…

This paper reviews the evidence that Proto-Niger-Congo was a tone language with only two level tones and seeks to find the evidence that will explain how some of the descendant languages have more than two tones. In particular it shows how synchronic tone rules in Cama and consonant correspondences between Cama and Yoruba suggest a new factor in…

Papers in various aspects of phonological research and theory include: "One-Step Raising in Gbanu" (Mary Bradshaw); "ATR Harmony in Konni" (Mike Cahill); "Prosodic Structure in SiSwati" (Rebecca Herman); "The Deletion of /w/ in Seoul Korean and Its Implications" (Hyeon-Seok Kang); "Tense, Aspect, and…

This book sets out the sound systems of twelve Nigerian languages and English (both British and American) in order to give teachers a better understanding of why students who are speakers of these languages have difficulty in certain areas of English pronunciation. The Nigerian languages are: Efik, Etsako, Fula, Hausa, Ibgo, Ijo, Isoko, Itsekiri,…

This systematic lexical comparison of 1,050 words from five Nigerian Igbo dialects is based on the list used for the West African Language Survey in 1960. The comparative phonologies are not to be regarded as definitive but as hypotheses derived from the present material. In Igbo, as in other Kwa languages, there are in general no consonant…

This volume contains a selection of 27 papers presented at the Sixth Conference on African Linguistics. The papers cover a very wide range of topics, and are organized into three sections: (1) Historical and Comparative Studies; (2) Phonology; and (3) Syntax. The conference program, the program of the symposium on African language, culture and…

This analysis of Ibo is not intended as a definitive work, but rather represents a novel approach to the description of the phonology and grammar of this language. The analysis is organized under the following headings: (1) "Sounds"; (2) "Tones"; (3) "Words Beginning in a Consonant"; (4) "Plurals"; (5) "Possessives"; (6) "As To"; (7) "Numerals";…

This volume consists of a guide to Ewe pronunciation and an Ewe textbook designed for students who are native speakers of English. Consonants, vowels and tones are introduced in the first section, and exercises that drill the contrasts between the segments are provided. The volume is divided into five units, each unit including a dialogue,…