The concept of Thai soundex system for name search as method of information retrieval is developed and evaluated by extending and modifying Odell and Russell soundex system to fit specific characteristics of Thai language. Thai consonants, letter codes, and evaluation of system in name file of 61,215 records are highlighted. (EJS)

Investigated the ability to discriminate the middle and low tone contrasts in Thai in two groups of native English speakers and a control group of native Thai speakers. The first group were native English speakers who had no prior experience with Thai, the second group were experienced learners of Thai. Variables included experience with Thai,…

Examines whether second language English production is influenced by the consonant-tone interaction occurring in Korean first language production. English pitch contours of the native speakers and Korean speakers were compared for the identification of their differences. (Author/VWL)

THIS STUDY OF THE CANTONESE PHONOLOGICAL SYSTEM IS A CASE STUDY OF THE PHONOLOGICAL COMPONENT OF A GENERATIVE GRAMMAR. ATTEMPTS ARE MADE IN CHAPTER III TO SOLVE SOME OLD PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH THE ANALYSIS OF CANTONESE WITHIN THIS NEW THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK. MOST OF THE PROBLEMS ARE PSEUDO-PROBLEMS, IN THE SENSE THAT THEY POSE DIFFICULTIES ONLY…

Data on the acquisition of lexical tone were collected from 17 Mandarin-speaking children. Among other results, it was found that: (1) tone is acquired relatively quickly; (2) mastery of tones occurs well before mastery of segmentals; and (3) Mandarin high-level and falling tones are acquired before rising and dipping tones. (Author/RM)

This article summarizes the development of the Tanacross practical orthography, highlighting the crucial differences between practical and technical orthography used in some linguistic publications. Three stages of Tanacross orthography are exemplified in research from the 1980s. A fourth stage is a hybrid of the second and third stages,…

The see-saw pair is a technique for perceptually contrasting the two realizations of the third tone, viz. the low-level half third and the low dip full third. (DD)

Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Language and Linguistic Studies, Ann Arbor, Michigan, October 20-21, 1972. Work supported in part by the Research Board of the Graduate College and by the Center for Asian Studies, both at the University of Illinois. (VM)

Discusses dialectal variation in the lexical tone system of Ma'ya, an Austronesian language featuring three lexically contrastive tonemes. Representative acoustic data were collected from the Missol, Slawati, and Laganyan dialects, and on the basis of these data, an account is given of their tone systems and of how these tone systems compare to…

Reports the results of three experiments that used vowel and tone monitoring tasks to investigate the role of tone information in processing Mandarin. (Author/VWL)

A study examined the tonal patterns in Komo, a sub-Bantu language of about 200,000 speakers in Zaire. It investigated: (1) the minimal lexical specifications necessary for Komo tones; (2) what sort of tonal alternations exist and how they may be accounted for most simply with rules; (3) how tonal phenomena interact with Komo morphology; and (4) at…

An analysis of tone in language begins with the observation that the structural approach taken in segmental phonology, analyzing complex tones in terms of sequences of level tones, is not necessarily appropriate with tone languages. A different approach is proposed, a "dynamic-tone" theory that represents tone contours entirely in terms…

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…