Songs in African Tonal Languages: Contrasting the Tonal System and the Melody
Over the past fifty years there has been a dramatic increase in studies investigating the rules of tone-tune correspondence in vocal music performed in tonal languages. In this paper we argue that considering structural properties of tonal systems is important for studying the interaction between tone and melody. Using songs in Guinean Kpelle and Guro as test cases, we prove that contour tones are less preserved in melody than level tones, and surface tones are reflected in melody rather than underlying tones. We also show that syllable structure as well as style, genre and structure of songs affect tone-tune correspondence.
The Syntax of Tone in Guinean Kpelle
A major question challenging linguists who study the interaction between phonology and syntax is whether prosodic structure is organized as a syntax independent module of grammar with its own structure or whether there is one-to-one correspondence between prosody and syntax2. In recent years linguists have devised many theories addressing the issue, such as The Prosodic Hierarchy Theory (Selkirk 1980; Nespor and Vogel 1986 etc.), the Minimal Indirect Reference Model (Seidl 2001), Multiple Spell-Out Theory proposed by Dobashy (2003) and Ishihara (2003), Feature-chain Mapping Analysis presented by Elordieta (1997), the Match Theory of prosody-syntax interface (Selkirk 2009) – cf. Elordieta (2007) and Selkirk (2011) for up-to-date references. Unfortunately, most current studies of the phonology-syntax interface are based on rather limited typological sample. Concerning African languages, it is mostly Bantu languages that are discussed in literature – cf. (Downing 2013) for an overview. In this paper I study the interaction between prosodic and syntactic structure in Guinean Kpelle (GK), an underdescribed Southwestern Mande tonal language spoken in West Africa, Republic of Guinea. My syntactic approach to GK is largely based on Nikitina’s (2009, 2011) analysis of the Wan language. In this paper I focus on surface changes of tone in GK (the hɔ̰́ɔ̰́kwɛ̀lɛ̌ dialect). I argue that tone rules in GK are strongly sensitive to morphosyntactic structure, and in most cases prosodic structure can be derived from syntactic structure in this language. In other words, GK gives evidence of a strong syntax-phonology correspondence supporting the “Match” model of phonology-syntax interface as argued in Selkirk (2009, 2011). To my knowledge, Mande languages have never been discussed with respect to the phonology-syntax interface before. In this article I am going to introduce some new empirical data which might contribute to our understanding of the interaction between phonology and syntax.
Cantonese Opera: Performance as Creative Process
This book sets out to examine the creative process involved in the performance of the Cantonese opera, in which as many as 50 or 60 singers/dancers and a dozen or more instrumentalists take part. The book investigates the performance and social function of the art form.