KEY TERMS

1. autosegmental

2. phonology

3. tone stability

4. floating tone

5. across-the-board

6. effects

7. feature geometry

PREVIEW

This final chapter introduces an alternative model, the nonlinear theory, of how sounds are represented. The purpose of this chapter is to show how troublesome facts can lead to a reconceptualization of a domain which seemed to be understood, leading to an even better understanding of the nature of language sounds. This will also help you to understand how and why theories change.

The theoretical model we have been assuming – known as the linear theory of representation – was quite successful in explaining a number of facts about sound systems. A defining characteristic of the theory is the view that segments are matrices of feature values, where every segment has a specification for each of the two dozen distinctive features. There was, however, one phonological realm which the theory had largely ignored, and that was tone.

The autosegmental theory of tone: the beginnings of a change

There were a few proposals regarding tone features, but they did not reach the degree of acceptance that those for other features reached. One of the primary problems was how to represent contour tones such as rising and falling.

The problem of contours

One possibility is that contour tones are simply H (high) or L (low) tones with a positive specification for a feature “contour.”