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    levels, shown by dots in a descending scale: [ ˥ ] high tone, [ ˦ ], [ ˧ ], [ ˨ ]

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*1st, 2nd and 3rd mid tones, [ ˩ ] low tone.

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*    1. High Tone. An essential high tone is not always on the highest

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*possible level in connected speech. When it occurs after a low tone, it

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*is usually lower than a previous high tone in the same sentence. This

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*may be shown graphically thus [ ˥ ˩ ˦ ] . After another low tone, a further

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*lowering takes place [ ˥ ˩ ˦ ˩ ˧ ], and so on. These lowered variants of the

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*“high” tone are not indicated in this book as they are brought about

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*by assimilation to the preceding low tone, and therefore have no

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*semantic or grammatical function of their own which would make it

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*essential to distinguish them from other high tones. They will accordingly

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*be represented thus [ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ˥ ˩ ].

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*    2. Low Tone. A low tone is frequently raised before a high tone and

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*between high tones. This may be shown graphically thus [ ˨ ˥ ], and

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*combined with the phenomenon of the “lowered” high tone explained

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*in the previous paragraph, thus [ ˧ ˥ ˨ ˦ ˩ ˧ ]. Such variants are also the

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*result of assimilation and will therefore not be shown here.

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*    The simplification of tone marking brought about in this way leaves

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*the signs for the mid tones free to mark only those tonal phenomena

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*that have definite grammatical or syntactic functions.

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*    In a final position, and in very slow speech also in the middle of a

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*sentence, the low tone is generally not level but falling. The fall starts

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*below the level of the preceding tone, i.e. after a high tone, it starts at

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*a mid-level; after a mid tone, at a lower mid tone. There are, how-

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*ever, certain cases in which the low tone is level, and occasionly the

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*only distinction between two grammatical forms is made by the occur-

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*rence of either the falling or the level variant of a low tone. The rules

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*for the appearance of these variants could, however, clearly be ascertained

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*with one informant only (S. Obayuwana), and at a time when a general

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*notation of the phenomenon in this book was no longer possible (but

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*v. the notes under the headings sikã [ ˩ ˥ ], xa 1 [ / ] and 1 [˥]). It

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*seems to be most frequent in the case of second or third members of

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*verbal combinations occurring after a high tone: then, the falling low

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*tone is used in the ipf. and the level variant in the pf. The author

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*intends to deal with this question more fully in a grammar of this

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*language which he hopes to publish at some later period.

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*    3. Mid Tones. Three levels of mid tones occur: [ ˦ ˧ ˨ ]; the 1st

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*following on a high tone, the 2nd following on the 1st mid, and the

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*3rd on the 2nd mid tone. High tones following any of these mid tones

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*are assimilated to them. The interval between high and mid and

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*between two mid tones is not sufficiently wide to produce the impression

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*of a high-low interval: it may vary between one and three tones. In

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*a very few cases it has been necessary to mark mid tone after a low

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*tone.

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*xiii

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