An Autosegmental Analysis of Berom Tones and Tonal Processes
Keywords:
Berom, Autosegmental phonology, tone, tonal copying, tonal replacementAbstract
Tone is notorious for its independence from the segments on which it is realized (Yip 2002). This paper adopts a descriptive approach to the study of Berom tones and tonal processes alongside the application of the autosegmental phonology framework in examining how these phenomena operate in Berom. Berom is a language spoken in Northern Plateau with speakers occupying four local government areas namely- Jos South, Jos North, Barkin Ladi and Riyom; but the data obtained for this study is based on the dialect spoken in Riyom. Tones play a very significant role in Berom. Tones have the tendency to influence segments, syllables, morphemes and even words in Berom. Berom exploits three (3) distinctive register tones- High [ˊ], mid [ˉ ], low [ ˋ ] and two contour tones: rising [ ˇ ] and falling [ ̂ ] tones; both of which perform lexical and grammatical functions. This paper adopts the autosegmental framework in its analysis with the view to clearly illustrate how Berom tones function and highlight two (2) tonal processes in Berom- tone copying and tonal replacement. This paper finds out that in tone copying, the plural prefix ‘be-’ is underlyingly toneless; therefore, it copies the tone of the root it is attached to in its derivation (whether it is high or low). Whereas in tonal replacement, a high tonal morpheme [ ˊ ] replaces the tone(s) of root from which they are derived. More so, tonal replacement in Berom is applicable to some irregular plural formations and the derivation of the progressive aspect of Berom verbs.
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