On the Origin of Tonal Classes in Kinande Noun Stems
This paper investigates the Proto-Bantu origins of the principal tonal classes in Kinande nonderived mono- and disyllabic nominal stems. The ternary H vs. L. vs. 0 distinction in the final syllable of the current language is traced back to a binary H vs. L contrast in Proto Bantu on the basis of...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | en_US |
| Published: |
Dept. of Linguistics and the African Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles
2010
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/56298 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6490-1420 |
| Summary: | This paper investigates the Proto-Bantu origins of the principal tonal classes in Kinande
nonderived mono- and disyllabic nominal stems. The ternary H vs. L. vs. 0 distinction in the final
syllable of the current language is traced back to a binary H vs. L contrast in Proto Bantu on the
basis of two strata of reconstruction: first, a shallow one based on c. 200 PB cognates shared
with the closely related Lacustrine languages Runyankore, Haya, and Jita and second, a deeper
one based on c. 100 PB cognates shared with the more distantly related Congolese languages
Tembo, Luba, and Lingala. A chronology of tone changes is postulated in which different
sequencing of the same changes as well as alternative phonologizations of ambiguous phonetic
structures play a key role. |
|---|