User:Bukkia/sandboxVIII

Tones

All vowels clearly display a distinctive feature: the tone.

lɛ̄ - lɛ́ - lɛ̱́
eagle - to say - to cultivate

There are 7 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
• [V³], mid level
• [V¹], low level

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

• [V⁵⁵]: ā
• [V³³]: a
• [V¹¹]: a̱

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
• [V¹³]: á̱

Falling tones:

• [V³¹]: à
• [V⁵³]: ā̀

The incidence of every tone is not homogenous among the words. Some of the tones are considerably less widespread than others. Generally speaking, linear tones more widespread than the uneven tones.