West African languages enrich the frequency code: Multi-functional pitch and multi-dimensional prosody in Ikaan polar questions

Salffner, Sophie

Abstract

Cross-linguistically, statements tend to be pronounced with low or falling pitch and questions with high or rising pitch, a form–meaning pairing which has been attributed to the frequency code (Ohala, 1984). In many West African languages, however, questions are marked with a ‘lax’ prosody comprising falling intonation, low tones, lengthening, breathy termination, and open vowels (Rialland, 2007). This paper presents prosody findings from Ikaan (Niger-Congo; ISO 639-3: kcf) and proposes a re-analysis of the West African lax question prosody to integrate it with the frequency code model. The paper shows that the pragmatic functions of statement and polar question are expressed prosodically in Ikaan. Audio recordings of statements and morphosyntactically identical polar questions by six speakers were annotated segmentally, tonally, and for the presence of prosodic question markers. Speakers mark questions by using higher onset pitch, wider drops to final low tones, final breathy voice and voicelessness, final vowel lengthening, vowel insertion, and increased intensity. Breathiness may further contrast with creaky voice and glottal stops in statements. Phonation mode, and the accompanying vowel lengthening and insertion, are argued to indicate friendliness and appeals for collaboration, linking phonation mode to similar functions of higher pitch in the frequency code.

Citation

Salffner, S. (2017). West African languages enrich the frequency code: Multi-functional pitch and multi-dimensional prosody in Ikaan polar questions. Laboratory Phonology, 8(1), 1-44. https://doi.org/10.5334/labphon.94

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 11, 2016
• Publication Date: Jun 7, 2017
• Deposit Date: Apr 16, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 17, 2019
• Journal: Laboratory Phonology
• Print ISSN: 1868-6346
• Electronic ISSN: 1868-6354
• Publisher: Open Library of Humanities
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 8
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 1-44
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5334/labphon.94
• Keywords: question prosody, tone languages, Ikaan, Niger-Congo languages, phonation mode, frequency code, language documentation and description
• Related Public URLs: http://www.journal-labphon.org/articles/10.5334/labphon.94
• Additional Information: Additional Information : Original recordings and the transcriptions of all data presented in the paper are accessible from the archived deposits in Salffner (2010a, 2014). The article is openly accessible from the journal website and can be downloaded from http://doi.org/10.5334/labphon.94; References : Abimbola, O. and Olaogun, S. (2013). Interrogatives in Iyinno: a unified analysis. Paper presented at the Conference of the West African Linguistic Society and the Linguistic Association of Nigeria. Ibadan, Nigeria Abiodun, M. A. (1999). A comparative phonology and morphology of Ukaan dialects of old Akoko Division (Doctoral dissertation). Nigeria, Ilorin: University of Ilorin. Agoyi, T. O. (2001). The category of number and the genetic classification of Èkiròmì. Inquiry in African Languages and Literatures 4: 64–80. Alku, P., Vintturi, J. and Vilkman, E. (2002). 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