LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Contour Tones in Igbo

C.U.C. Ugorji, Ph.D.

Abstract

Two contour tones are well attested in Igbo constructions. Studies in linguistics so far analyse the tonal contour properties in Igbo in terms of some syntactic conditions (Green and Igwe1963, Goldsmith1976, Emenanjo1978, Nwachukwu1995, etc.) involving grammatical functions and the tonal melody of subject-verb relations.

The present paper provides a parallel explanation on purely phonological grounds. The two tonal glides are discussed, Rising and Falling; and we demonstrate that the contour properties are the outcome of non-synchrony between level tones at the opposite sides of word boundary where the second word begins with a consonant, and also show that the licensing factors reflect the nature of elements of the segmental tier in multilinear phonology and assimilatory characterizations. By adopting a multilinear framework, this study also contributes to the pursuit of the implementation of the tenets of multilinear phonology.

Tonology, in particular, constitutes the bulk of evidence for multilinear phonology right from Goldsmith1976. The theory arose from attempts to overcome the inadequacies of the linear model of standard generative phonology in handling tonal phenomenon, particularly contour tones; hence this framework is adopted here. Our phonological account has advantages over previous attempts in its being able to handle a wider scope of data and in its elegance, being more explanatory, more straightforward and simpler, by which it shows apparent superiority over the rather woolly and winding analyses of the syntax based explanations. The study follows after previous attempts in using data drawn from the central dialects. We thus use the same set of data for this present study; and especially include expressions and names, which appear more resistant to dialect variations.

1. Introduction

Igbo is one of the three major indigenous languages spoken in Nigeria. It is a member of the New Benue-Congo phylum (Williamson and Blench2000). Its phonology readily illustrates some of the conceptual problems arising from a linear analysis of prosodies, such as tone (cf. Goldsmith1976, 1990). In Igbo, three level tones are contrasted in lexical formations, namely, high, low and mid. The latter however has restricted distribution: It occurs only after a high tone and does not occur as an initial syllable in a word; it does not also occur in monosyllabic CV roots, and may behave as a variant of the high tone in derivations.

This is only a part of the article. The article employes many diacritic marks and thus YOU ARE ADVISED TO PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Attitudes Towards English Among Malaysian Undergraduates | Linguistic Profile in Multi Infarct Dementia - A Case Study | Onomatopoeia in Tamil | Interactive Television Programmes - A Study in Media Ecology | Contour Tones in Igbo | HOME PAGE of February 2008 Issue | HOME PAGE | CONTACT EDITOR