THIS BASIC COURSE IN MORE, AN AFRICAN TONE LANGUAGE SPOKEN BY THE MOSSI PEOPLE OF UPPER VOLTA, IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE STUDENT WITH DIALOGS THAT RELATE TO SOME OF THE FIRST SITUATIONS IN WHICH HE IS LIKELY TO USE THE LANGUAGE, AS WELL AS WITH SYSTEMATIC PRACTICE IN ALL MAJOR POINTS OF GRAMMAR. THE COURSE COMPRISES 48 UNITS DIVIDED INTO THREE…

Examines tone perception in Mambila, a Benue-Congo language with four level lexical tones. A categorization experiment was run to determine some of the salient aspects of the perceptual nature of these tones. Results are discussed in light of what is known about universal tendencies of tone systems and the historical development of the Mambila…

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…

Twelve lessons in Igbo, the major language of Nigeria, are provided. The lessons are designed for use with a native speaker serving as a model. They cover pronunciation, major grammatical patterns, and limited practical conversation. The tonal aspects of Igbo pronunciation are emphasized. Suggestions are offered to enhance students' understanding…

THIS LANGUAGE COURSE IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE THE LINGUISTICALLY ORIENTED STUDENT WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF CHINYANJA (ALSO COMMONLY REFERRED TO WITHOUT THE "CHI" PREFIX AS "NYANJA"). THE PRINCIPLE LANGUAGE OF MALAWI, CHINYANJA IS ALSO SPOKEN BY LARGE NUMBERS OF MALAWIANS IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES. THE COURSE IS BASED ON A…

Bini, a language spoken by a million horticulturists in and around Benin City, Nigeria, belongs genealogically to the Edo branch of the Kwa family of the Niger-Congo phylum. Bini dialects differ in their tonemic inventory, which ranges from four to six tonemes per dialect. But all dialects exhibit two morphotonemes--high and low--which perhaps…

Tone-based classification rules for Igbo nouns need modification because: (1) class 1 nouns (monosyllables with high tones) do not, as claimed, operate differently from other terminal high-tone nouns; and (2) class 6 nouns (di-syllabic with downstep tones) can be accounted for within class 2 and class 3 nouns known as HH and LH nouns). The proper…

In a tone language, tonal distinctions between words in sequence can often be analyzed using the same devices that are applied within the word (e.g., downdrift or downstep). However, it is proposed here that Sandawe is a tone language in which the tonal relationships between constituents in clause structure, and between constituents in phrase…

This "Luganda Basic Course" is not a course in the usual sense. Rather, it is a collection of materials which can be useful in the interaction between teachers and learners. It follows the method by which foreigners interact when they do not speak a common language: personal names and names of respective countries and cities are…

Many tone languages exhibit some form of downdrift or automatic downstep, the lowering of high tones separated by low tones. In extreme cases, the realization of high tones at the end of a domain (such as the sentence) may be lower than the realization of low tones at the beginning. Tone languages with this property are cross-level tone languages.…

Using Yoruba as a case study, this article demonstrates the fact that the languages of Africa and the cultures of its peoples are inseparable. Therefore, the study advocates that appropriate aspects of these cultures should form an integral part of African language teaching. This article discusses specifically how language teachers can transmit…

An autosegmental analysis of Kagate tone is presented. The focus is on tonal instability, which occurs as the result of a compensatory lengthening process. To account for facts of tonal stability, previously hypothesized, and tonal instability, it is proposed that the location of tone within the overall geometry is subject to parametric variation,…

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…