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Proquest Dissertations INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction Is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. T TTk UiVU Bell & Howell Information and beaming 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 NOTE TO USERS Page(s) missing in number only; text follows. Microfilmed as received. 82 This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI A CROSSLINGUISTIC STUDY OF CONSONANT-TONE INTERACTION DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University By Mary M. Bradshaw, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1999 Dissertation Committee Approved by Professor David Odden, Advisor Professor Elizabeth Hume Professor Keith Johnson Advisor Department of Linguistics UMI Number: 9941291 Copyright 1999 by Bradshaw, Mary Margaret All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9941291 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Mary M Bradshaw 1999 ABSTRACT This thesis undertakes a crosslinguistic study of interaction between consonants and tone in order to arrive at relevant phonological generalizations. Surveying over 25 tone languages from Africa and Asia, it is found tliat only voiced consonants are involved in such interactions. In consonant-tone interaction, L tones are inserted and H tones blocked after voiced consonants. Moreover, voiceless obstruents become voiced in the presence of L tone in several languages. The involvement of voiced consonants and the lack of involvement of voiceless consonants in consonant-tone effects provide a new argument for the position that the feature which represents voicing is privative. Added to the arguments based on voicing dissimilation in Japanese (Mester & Ito 1989) and laryngeal neutralization (Lombardi 1994), the case for privativity of this particular feature is thereby strengthened. Specifically, this thesis proposes a Multiplanar Hypothesis of Consonant-Tone Interaction which claims that (1) tone is dual m nature and must be so represented in fea­ ture geometry, (2) a single privative feature, referred to as [L/voice], encompasses both L tone and the traditional feature [voice], and (3) the feature [L/voice] can be associated subsegmentally to the Laryngeal node and/or prosodically to the mora. The resulting the­ ory allows a principled and unified analysis of consonant-tone phenomena. The proposal of a privative feature [L/voice] leads to a reexamination of the pho­ netic correlates of the traditional feature [voice] and their modification to accommodate the interaction of voicing and tone. Specifically, it is proposed that the phonetic correlate of [L/voice] is a laryngeal configuration, probably involving larynx height, in which the u fundamental frequency of a vowel is lowered. After voiced obstruents, the onset pitch of a vowel is lowered. Vowels realized with a L tone are also characterized by lowered pitch. This thesis also investigates the phonetic side of consonant-tone interaction and uncovers a mismatch between phonetically natural versus phonologically relevant inter­ actions. An investigation of this mismatch leads to the conclusion that the role of phonet­ ics in the phonology must be limited by purely phonological factors when a conflict arises. In this case, the privativity of [L/voice] limits the interaction to voiced consonants, altliough voiceless obstruents have significant effects on pitch phonetically. ill Dedicated to my parents, Arthur and Norma Archung IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I have an enormous intellectual debt to Dave Odden, my advisor and intellectual mentor. In addition to his explicit attempts to guide me (which were more effective than they appeared to be), he has served as a model for the kind of phonologist I would like to become, dedicated to the field and to students of phonology, adept at data collection and interpretation, knowledgeable and rigorous theoretically. I have benefited enormously from his genius for phonology which transcends theoretical frameworks and his encyclopedic knowledge of different languages and how they work. This dissertation, and all of my work, owe much not only to his general guidance of my intellectual development but also specifically to his insightful comments and discussion. Moreover, his sometimes goofy, sometimes subtle, sense of humor and warm friendship have contributed much to my enjoyment of my student years at OSU. I am also grateful for the benefit of the insights of my other committee members, Beth Hume and Keith Johnson. They too serve as models of dedicated linguists, highly involved in the field and the exchange of ideas. Beth always made me focus on the latest theoretical developments in the field (and especially made me take them seriously). Keith made sure I never ignored the contributions of phonetics to an understanding of phonology. Their comments on this dissertation in particular have been very helpful and enhance whatever positive contribution it has to make. I have to confess that I found studying phonology at Ohio State very enjoyable and I’m going to miss it. I am grateful to a very supportive department that contributed to that sense of fun and to all the students there who have delighted me with their company. There are too many to thank so I will mention only Ruth. Roberts-Kohno, Jen Muller, Bettina Migge and Robert Poletto, with whom I have shared many good times, both intellectual and social. My family has also contributed to this dissertation in providing the emotional and sometimes financial support that allowed me the fi-eedom to pursue this goal and the balance to keep me on track. My children, Heather and Eric have acted as treasured companions as well as constant reminders that much of life is neither linguistics nor intellectual. My parents, Norma and Arthur, through their deep generosity and emotional support, have taught me that the world is a loving place. I am more grateful than I ever say to my brothers and sisters whose countless acts of kindness, including that of taking an interest in the obscure branch of knowledge I study, have provided great comfort. The love I share with my family gives meaning to my life, and I am the most grateful for that. VI VITA 1988 ................................................................ M.A. African Studies, Ohio University 1988 ................................................................ M.A. Linguistics, Ohio University 1993 - 1998.....................................................Graduate Teaching and Research Associate, The Ohio State University PUBLICATIONS Research Publication 1. Voice-Tone Interaction: A Phonology-Phonetics Mismatch. Proceedings of the XVT West Coast Conference in Formal Linguistics, (1999) 2. One-Step Tone-Raising in Ali. Varia, ed. by M. Bradshaw, D. Odden and D. Wyckoff. OSU Working Papers No. 51, 1-19, (1998). 3. Tone Alternations in the Associative Construction of Suma. Proceedings of the 26th Armual Conference on African Linguistics (1998). 4. A Phonology-Phonetics Mismatch: [Voice] in Consonant-Tone Interaction. Studies in the Linguistic Sciences 27 (I), 17-31 (1998). 5. One-Step Raising in Gbanu. OSU Working Papers in Linguistics. 1996. 6. The Independent Development of Mid Tone in Suma. In F. Ingemann (ed.) 1994 Mid America Linguistics Conference Papers, 2:411-424. Lawrence: U. of Kansas. (1996) 7. Unrecoverable Origins. Rutgers Archives. (1995) V ll 8. The Independent Development of Mid Tone in Suma. In E. Hume, R. Levine & H. Sydorenko (eds.) Studies in Synchronic and Diachronic Variation, 1-15. The Ohio State University WPL#46. (1995) 9. Tone on Verbs in Suma. In A. Akinlabi (ed.) Theoretical Approaches to African Linguistics, 255-272. Trenton: Africa World Press. (1995) 10. Suma Personal Pronouns: A Preliminary Description and Analysis. Ohio University Working Papers in Linguistics and Language Teaching.l0:17-34. (1989) FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Linguistics vm TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ................................ n Dedication ................................................................ iv Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................................v
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