Universal #2034

Legacy number: 2034

 Number  2028
 Original  Generally agreed upon "facts" about contour tones (marked = more complex, rarer):

(a) contour tones are more marked than level tones;
(b) rising tones are more marked than falling tones;
(c) rising-falling and falling-rising tones are more marked than rising and falling tones.

Markedness generalizations:
The more marked a tone is,
(i) the more likely it is absent in a tone system;
(ii) the more likely it is to be restricted to a hospitable tone bearing unit (e.g. long, prominent, sonorous).
 Standardized  Generally agreed upon "facts" about contour tones (marked = more complex, rarer):
(a) contour tones are more marked than level tones;
(b) rising tones are more marked than falling tones;
(c) rising-falling and falling-rising tones are more marked than rising and falling tones.
Markedness generalizations:The more marked a tone is, (i) the more likely it is absent in a tone system;(ii) the more likely it is to be restricted to a hospitable tone bearing unit (e.g. long, prominent, sonorous).
 Keywords  tone, contour tone, level tone, markedness
 Domain  phonology
 Type  implication
 Status  achronic
 Quality  absolute?
 Basis  "general agreement of experts"
 Source  Hyman 2003

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Discussion
Notes
See #2033.
Comment
Frans Plank · 3 Aug 2006
See <a class="innerLink" href="browse.php?entry_id=2033"><img src="../img/entry.gif" border="0">