Melodic tone in Totela TAM

Abstract

Most Totela tense, aspect, and mood forms take one of three patterns of melodic H tones. In the first pattern, only lexical Hs are present. In the second, a melodic H surfaces on the first stem mora, barring interference from general tone constraints such as Meeussen’s Rule. In the third pattern, the melodic H surfaces on the penultimate mora of the stem. Melodic H assignment is also conditioned by prohibitions against two adjacent Hs in the output. All tone melodies in Totela are affected by across‑the‑board application of H‑tone anticipation, in which Hs shift one syllable to the left. In this paper, the three major tone patterns are presented, along with their variations and interactions with other tonal processes. Several minor patterns are also described.

The Autosegmental Approach to Tone in Lusoga

“…All of the above alternatives can also be tested against other Bantu systems with historical H tone anticipation, e.g. Kinande (Mutaka 1994, Jones 2015), Tembo (Kaji 1996) and Totela (Crane 2014). 15 The historical process was undoubtedly the deletion of *H directly, as many languages do not tolerate a H tone vowel at the left edge.…”

The Bantu Languages

“…(H-toned) roots of various lengths. For full paradigms and further discussion, seeCrane (2014). Lexical Hs are only marked on roots.…”