Conditioning factors in the realization of tone: LuNyala verbs

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Kristopher Ebarb
Michael R. Marlo

Abstract

Nyala-West (Bantu, Kenya) marks tense-aspect-mood-polarity and clause-type distinctions in verbs with grammatical H tones, called melodic Hs. Nyala-West has six basic tonal melodies in which melodic Hs target three positions of the verbal stem: the first mora of the stem, the first mora of the second syllable of the stem, and the final mora of the stem. The present paper shows how certain aspects of the prosody of the verb stem, the presence or absence of H-toned affixes, and the application of several tonal processes influence the realization of the melodic H in two of the tonal melodies of Nyala-West.

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