The present study investigated 3-year-old children's perception and production of Mandarin lexical tones in monosyllabic words. Thirteen 3-year-old, Mandarin-speaking children participated in the study. Tone perception was examined by a picture-pointing task, and tone production was investigated by picture naming. To compare children's productions…

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…

As an example leading toward a social grammar of language, three emotions are analyzed in English and Yoruba. Certain communication features in English that lie in intonation and stress require a change of grammar in Yoruba and that these changes are subject to further categorization through status and solidarity. (Author/RM)

Suggests an alternative to the traditional presentation of the tonal system in Chinese. Tones could be presented high-low (1,3) and rising-falling (2,4) instead of successively, since students have particular difficulty in this area. An acoustic and a statistical analysis is presented; the latter shows tonal distribution and frequency of…

The Mhong Language Council's 1982 conference had as its objectives: (1) a compromise spelling system to accommodate both White and Blue Mhong pronunciation; (2) simplification of the current Mhong spelling system; (3) review of approaches to the expression of foreign concepts in Mhong; and (4) adoption of capitalization and punctuation conventions…

THIS BASIC COURSE IN MENDE, A TONE LANGUAGE OF LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE, IS DESIGNED TO BE TAUGHT BY A LINGUIST AND AN INFORMANT TO LINGUISTICALLY ORIENTED STUDENTS. THE TEXT COMPRISES TWO SECTIONS, THE FIRST CONTAINING A VOCABULARY, USEFUL PHRASES AND "NARRATIVE DRILLS" TO ACCOMPANY THE 18 SLIDES PREPARED FOR THE COURSE. THE NARRATIVES…

THIS SHORT COURSE IN MENDE (A TONE LANGUAGE OF LIBERIA AND SIERRA LEONE) IS AN ABRIDGEMENT OF THE BASIC COURSE IN MENDE AND CONSISTS OF THE MOST "IMMEDIATELY USEFUL" PARTS OF THE BASIC COURSE. THESE PARTS INCLUDE A VOCABULARY, USEFUL PHRASES, AND "NARRATIVE DRILLS" TO BE USED WITH THE ACCOMPANYING 18 SLIDES, IN ADDITION TO…

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…

This introductory text in Punjabi (also spelled Panjabi) is intended primarily for those whose mother tongue is not Punjabi but are native speakers of other Indian languages. Some familiarity with the Punjabi cultural items is presupposed. The non-Indian may, however, also be able to use this text with profit since the lessons are graded. The…

This paper describes some of the pronunciation features of Thai speakers of English in New Zealand, based on the observation of Thai students during their language laboratory sessions in a pre-university English course. Regular pronunciation features and consistent patterns of sound replacement were observed, which seemed to be characteristic of,…

This study, tenth in a series of publications entitled "Studies in the Phonology of Asian Language," describes the phonetic variation of the six tones in two-syllable utterances of Vietnamese. The study is based on acoustic measurements of actual words and phrases. Findings of the study concern: (1) overall pitch height of a tone, (2)…

Describes the phonology of Hainan, with particular attention to the tone system. (Author/AM)

Twentieth century studies in the field of Sino-Vietnamese linguistics, with particular emphasis on work since 1955, are examined and evaluated. The discussions focus on how the studies were developed, what the current state is, and where problems are. A bibliography of works mentioned in the main text is included. (Author/SW)

Revised version of a paper read at the Third Annual California Linguistics Conference, Stanford University, California, May 5-6, 1973. (DD)