Universal #2033

Legacy number: 2033

 Number  2027
 Original  Measure the (sonorant) rime duration, and you'll get the right contour tones in the right places:

(a) by syllable type: CVV >> CVR >> (CVO) >> CV
(b) by # of syllables: monosyllabic >> bisyllabic >> polysyllabic
(c) by prominence: stressed >> unstressed, root >> affix syllable
(d) by tone: R >> F >> H, L
(e) by language-particular phonetics
 Standardized  IF there are contour tones in place X on any of the hierarchies in (a)-(d), THEN there are contour tones also lower on each hierarchy:(a) syllable type: CVV >> CVR >> (CVO) >> CV(b) number of syllables: monosyllabic >> bisyllabic >> polysyllabic(c) prominence: stressed >> unstressed, root >> affix syllable(d) tone: R >> F >> H, L
 Keywords  tone, contour tone
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implicational hierarchy
 Status  achronic, diachronic
 Quality  absolute?
 Basis  105 lgs (Gordon 2001), 187 lgs (Zhang 2001)
 Source  Hyman 2003, summarizing Gordon 2001 and Zhang 2001, with a critical intention

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Discussion
Notes
"[there is] an implicational hierarchy of tone bearing ability, whereby lng vowels are most likely to carry contour tones, followed by syllables containing a short vowel plus a sonorant coda, followed by syllables containing a short vowel plus an obstruent coda, followed by open syllables containing a short vowel [...] syllable types which are phonetically better suited to carry tonal information are more likely to support contour tones". (Gordon 2001: 405)"[...] the distribution of contour tones is found to correlate closely with the duration and sonority of the rime. Syllables with longer rime duration, e.g. those that are long-vowelled, sonorant-closed, stressed, prosodic-final, or in a shorter word, are more likely to carry contour tones." (Zhang 2001: xiv-xv)See #2034.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
"[there is] an implicational hierarchy of tone bearing ability, whereby lng vowels are most likely to carry contour tones, followed by syllables containing a short vowel plus a sonorant coda, followed by syllables containing a short vowel plus an obstruent coda, followed by open syllables containing a short vowel [...] syllable types which are phonetically better suited to carry tonal information are more likely to support contour tones". (Gordon 2001: 405)

"[...] the distribution of contour tones is found to correlate closely with the duration and sonority of the rime. Syllables with longer rime duration, e.g. those that are long-vowelled, sonorant-closed, stressed, prosodic-final, or in a shorter word, are more likely to carry contour tones." (Zhang 2001: xiv-xv)

See <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=2034"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">.