Vowel Harmony and Tone in Akan Toponyms

Abstract

Akan toponyms call into question several previously held generalizations made by linguists about vowel harmony and tone. Thus, because most toponyms were ‘historically’ phrases or even clauses but have become single words or are on the way to becoming single words, their phonological behavior regarding vowel harmony and tone may hold on to their original phrasal and clausal traces. Toponyms that are not completely lexicalized exhibit phonological behavior of phrases or sentences and may therefore be seen as exceptions to the Akan vowel harmony and tonal assimilation processes. However, completely lexicalized toponyms follow the vowel harmony process in Akan by which all the vowels in a word are either RTR or ATR and that ATR vowels can assimilate preceding RTR vowels into ATR. Also, with completely lexicalized toponyms, the vowel harmony process of raising can go beyond one syllable. Although only the ATR vowel harmony value is synchronically active today, there is evidence to show that RTR vowel harmony value was active some time ago. Thus, contrary to the assertion that RTR vowels are unable to lower ATR vowels to RTR, there is evidence to suggest that RTR vowels may be able to lower ATR vowels to RTR. The low ATR vowel, /æ/, can raise a RTR vowel to ATR. Concerning tone, a floating low tone may or may not cause a downstepping of a following high tone. A low tone associated with the initial vowel of the second element of a compound toponym may be changed to a high tone.