[Lingtyp] languages with just lexical contour tones / bitonal units?

[Larry M. HYMAN]

Hi  Laura. A further note: If we bring in languages with a contrast between
3 tones, then it is also possible to have an underlying contour tone where
one of the two components (H or L) does not independently exist. A good
case that has been analyzed in considerable detail is Hakha Lai
(Kuki-Chin), which has /LH/, /HL/ and /L/, but no /H/. (In addition,
monomoraic (C)V words/proclitics are toneless.)

Hyman, Larry M. & Kenneth VanBik. 2004. Directional rule application and
output problems in Hakha Lai tone. In *Phonetics and Phonology, Special
Issue, Language and Linguistics* 5.821-861. Academia Sinica, Taipei.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a170/9c3635ff5f4befed0835e6a7958f1a1d3eb9.pdf?_ga=2.57531757.637269162.1584896430-707379945.1584896430

On Sun, Mar 22, 2020 at 9:56 AM Laura McPherson <laura.emcpherson at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Hi Adam,
>
> I've been working on the tone system of Poko (Skou, PNG) where the
> language appears to have 0, L, M, H as tonal primitives, but L and H only
> ever surface as part of complex melodies (LM, MH, LH), which are generally
> realized as contour tones on monosyllabic roots and as tonal sequences on
> disyllabic roots. M can occur as a melody of its own. While LM or MH could
> at some (abstract) level be analyzed as simply L and H, on the surface, the
> M appears to be phonologically real (for instance, a docked floating H on a
> 0 root is surface-distinct from a MH contour).
>
> This isn't exactly the same as what you're asking about, but it is another
> case of complex melodies or tones appearing in a language without the more
> basic melodies.
>
> Best,
> Laura
>
> On Sun, Mar 22, 2020 at 12:15 PM Adam James Ross Tallman <
> ajrtallman at utexas.edu> wrote:
>
>> Hey all,
>>
>> It's been suggested to me that the language I'm working on really makes a
>> distinction between 0 vs. LH lexical marking, rather than 0 vs. H as I had
>> previously thought. Looking at connected speech the evidence for this seems
>> very strong and I'm starting to overcome my initial resilience to the
>> proposal.
>>
>> Has this been proposed for any other language? (i.e. a language that just
>> has 0, LH or 0, HL and no corresponding lexical Ls and Hs). I want to know
>> what the evidence looks like for other language? In my case it's primarily
>> phonetic and I'm not really sure what strictly phonological evidence would
>> look like.
>>
>> Notice I'm not asking about pitch accents or intonational marking etc.
>> But cases where it can be shown that the categories are really lexically
>> specified.
>>
>> Help would be appreciated, I hope everyone is well and healthy.
>>
>> best,
>>
>> Adam
>>
>> --
>> Adam J.R. Tallman
>> PhD, University of Texas at Austin
>> Investigador del Museo de Etnografía y Folklore, la Paz
>> ELDP -- Postdoctorante
>> CNRS -- Dynamique Du Langage (UMR 5596)
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-- 
Larry M. Hyman, Professor of Linguistics & Executive Director,
France-Berkeley Fund
Department of Linguistics, University of California, Berkeley
http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/people/person_detail.php?person=19
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