User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Tones

All vowels clearly display a distinctive feature: the tone.

bɑ̄̀ - bɑ̀ - bɑ̱
eagle - to say - to cultivate

There are 18 possible tonal distinctions, that can be expressed on every single vowel. These distinctions arise from tone leves and falling or rising features among these leves. The five distinguished tone leves are marked by a numeral sign:

• [V⁵], high level
• [V⁴], high-mid level
• [V³], mid level
• [V²], mid-low level
• [V¹], low level

The high tone, the mid tone and the low tone are regarded as primary levels, while the high-mid level and the mid-low level are called middle levels.

Primary levels produce three tones, called linear (as a graphic example of the tones, the vowel [a] is used):

• [V⁵⁵]: ā
• [V³³]: a
• [V¹¹]: a̱

Conversely, middle levels cannot produce any linear tones.

Tones can be expressed by an alteration of the level value. This kind of tones is called uneven tones. If the tone is altered towards an higher level, they are called rising tones, while if the tone is altered towards a lower level, they are called falling tones:

Rising tones:

• [V³⁵]: á
• [V²⁵]: ā́
• [V¹⁴]: a̱̋
• [V¹³]: á̱

Falling tones:

• [V⁵³]: ā̀
• [V⁵²]: ā̏
• [V⁴¹]: ȁ̱
• [V³¹]: à

Another tonal distinction is expressed by two types of alterations in tone levels. This kind of tones is called spike tones. If the spike is altered towards an higher level, they are called apex tones, while if the spike is altered towards a lower level, they are called bottom tones:

Apex tones:

• [V⁴⁵³]: ā̂
• [V³⁵⁴]: ā̃
• [V¹³²]: â
• [V²³¹]: â̱

Bottom tones:

• [V⁵³⁴]: ǎ
• [V⁴³⁵]: ā̌
• [V³¹²]: ã̱
• [V²¹³]: ǎ̱

La distribuzione dei toni non è uniforme ed alcuni di essi sono sostanzialmente meno diffusi degli altri. In generale, si può affermare che i toni di livello siano i più diffusi, con, a seguire, i toni di dislivello. I toni di picco sono complessivamente i meno diffusi. Anche all’interno degli stessi sottogruppi esiste una disparità di distribuzione, ma questa rimane più difficile da esemplificare.

All vowels make a distinction among five different tones. Tone is a clearly distinctive feature:

ɛ́hnez - ɛ̌hnez
to bite - to help

Using the vowel [a] as an example, the tones, and their graphic transcription, are:

• a: [a˧], mid tone.
• á: [a˧˥], rising tone.
• à: [a˧˩], falling tone.
• â: [a˧˥˧], rising-falling or apical tone.
• ǎ: [a˥˧˥], falling-rising or bottom tone.

The mid tone is usually regarded as a neutral tone, not being graphically expressed by any diacritic mark. The rising and the falling tones are regarded as linear tones. The rising-falling and the falling-rising tones are rearded as spike tones. This distinction is relevant for stress positioning.

Tone variations are abundant among dialects, both diachronically and synchronically. Generally speaking, however, five tonal types are always distinguished.