| ROA: | 194 |
|---|---|
| Title: | Post-High Tone Shift in Venda Nominals |
| Authors: | William Thomas Reynolds |
| Comment: | |
| Length: | 31 |
| Abstract: | Post-High Tone Shift in Venda Nominals Bill Reynolds This paper examines a shift in the tonal pattern of Venda nominals when they are immediately preceded by a high tone. Previous accounts of this phenomenon under a rule-based, autosegmental approach have been problematic: The Obligatory Contour Principle appears to motivate different effects at different levels. Many of the rules required to explain the process are language specific and stipulative. Problems arise from the disparate treatment of low and high tones and from assumptions such as extratonality. Certain asymmetries in the inventory of tonal melodies remain unexplained. And questions remain as to whether the tone-bearing unit in Venda is the syllable or the mora. This paper attempts to address exactly such problems within the context of an Optimality Theoretic approach. It also provides evidence for distinct constraint rankings at the lexical and postlexical levels. Finally, the problem of accounting for downstep within an Optimality framework is looked into for the first time. Note: An earlier version of this paper appeared in The South African Journal of Linguistics, Supplement 31 (1996), pp. 55-85, under the title "Tone in Venda Revisited: An Optimality Perspective." |
| Type: | Paper/tech report |
| Area/Keywords: | |
| Article: | Version 1 |