1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Language and Linguistics
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Pitch, vowel duration, and phonation in Baima and neighboring languages
EPUB
PDF

Abstract

Abstract

This paper focuses on tonal development in Baima, a little-studied Tibetic (Tibeto-Burman) language of China. Based on newly collected data and an updated phonological analysis, it addresses the phonetic and chronological challenges posited by the previous analysis of tonal developments in Baima by Huang & Zhang (1995). As suggested by historical-comparative evidence (correspondences between Baima and Written Tibetan), the three contrastive tonal categories in Baima have likely arisen through an overlay of the phonation difference in consonants (historically breathy vs. non-breathy) and the phonation difference in vowels (tense vs. lax, with pitch and vowel duration as co-articulated cues). I furthermore argue that the development of a tense/lax distinction is likely broadly shared by the Tibetic languages neighboring Baima. Recognition of such a multidimensional contrast (which may variously implicate differences in phonation, pitch, vowel duration, and vowel quality) provides a unified explanation for a number of seemingly unrelated and unusual characteristics of these Tibetic languages (such as rhyme length and onset aspiration as pathways leading to distinctive low register). The clustering of Tibetic languages with a tense/lax distinction in the historically multilingual area at the border of the present-day Northern Sichuan and Southern Gansu is further brought in connection with local non-Tibetic languages, some of which possibly share a structurally similar voice quality contrast that involves sets of correlated phonetic properties associated with phonatory, tonal, and vowel quality.

© ILAS
Available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
2025-03-07
2025-03-22

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/10.1075/lali.00188.chi/lali.00188.chi.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Awang Cuocheng & Wang, Jianmin
    1988 Baima Zangzu yuyan diaocha jishi. Xinan Minzu Xueyuan Xuebao (Zhexue Kexue Ban). –, .
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Blankenship, Barbara
    2002 The timing of nonmodal phonation in vowels. Journal of Phonetics(). –. 10.1006/jpho.2001.0155
     https://doi.org/10.1006/jpho.2001.0155 [Google Scholar]
  3. Bradley, David
    1979 Proto-Loloish. London: Curzon Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. 1982 Register in Burmese. InBradley, David (ed.), Papers in South-East Asian linguistics, volume 8: Tonation (Pacific Linguistics Series A-62), –. Canberra: The Australian National University.
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Chirkova, Katia
    2024 Vowel harmony in Sino-Tibetan languages. Invan der Hulst, Harry & Ritter, Nancy A. (eds.), The Oxford handbook of vowel harmony, –. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198826804.013.58
     https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198826804.013.58 [Google Scholar]
  6. Chirkova, Katia & Kocjančič Antolík, Tanja & Amelot, Angélique
    2023 Baima. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100321000219
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100321000219 [Google Scholar]
  7. Chiu, Chenhao & Sun, Jackson T.-S.
    2020 On pharyngealized vowels in Northern Horpa: An acoustic and ultrasound study. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America(). –. 10.1121/10.0001005
     https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0001005 [Google Scholar]
  8. DiCanio, Christian T.
    2012 Coarticulation between tones and glottal consonants in Itunyoso Trique. Journal of Phonetics(). –. 10.1016/j.wocn.2011.10.006
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2011.10.006 [Google Scholar]
  9. Edmondson, Jerold A. & Lama Ziwo & Esling, John H. & Harris, Jimmy G. & Li, Shaoni
    2001 The aryepiglottic folds and voice quality in the Yi and Bai languages: Laryngoscopic case studies. The Mon-Khmer Studies Journal. –.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Edmondson, Jerold A. & Esling, John H.
    2006 The valves of the throat and their functioning in tone, vocal register and stress: Laryngoscopic case studies. Phonology(). –. 10.1017/S095267570600087X
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S095267570600087X [Google Scholar]
  11. Edmondson, Jerold A. & Esling, John H. & Lama Ziwo
    2017 Nuosu Yi. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100315000444
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100315000444 [Google Scholar]
  12. Esling, John H.
    1996 Pharyngeal consonants and the aryepiglottic sphincter. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100300006125
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100300006125 [Google Scholar]
  13. 2005 There are no back vowels: The laryngeal articulator model. Canadian Journal of Linguistics(). –. 10.1353/cjl.2007.0007
     https://doi.org/10.1353/cjl.2007.0007 [Google Scholar]
  14. Esling, John H. & Edmondson, Jerold A.
    2002 The laryngeal sphincter as an articulator: Tenseness, tongue root and phonation in Yi and Bai. InBraun, Angelika & Masthoff, Herbert R. (eds.), Phonetics and its applications: Festschrift for Jens-Peter Köster on the occasion of his 60th birthday, –. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag.
     [Google Scholar]
  15. Esling, John H. & Moisik, Scott R. & Benner, Allison & Crevier-Buchman, Lise
    2019 Voice quality: The laryngeal articulator model. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781108696555
     https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108696555 [Google Scholar]
  16. Esposito, Christina M. & Khan, Sameer ud Dowla
    2012 Contrastive breathiness across consonants and vowels: A comparative study of Gujarati and White Hmong. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100312000047
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100312000047 [Google Scholar]
  17. Evans, Jonathan P.
    2006a Vowel quality in Hongyan Qiang. Language and Linguistics(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. 2006b Origins of vowel pharyngealization in Hongyan Qiang. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area(). –. 10.32655/LTBA.29.2.04
     https://doi.org/10.32655/LTBA.29.2.04 [Google Scholar]
  19. Evans, Jonathan P. & Sun, Jackson T.-S.
    2015 Qiāng 羌 language. InSybesma, Rint & Behr, Wolfgang & Gu, Yueguo & Handel, Zev & Huang, C.-T. James & Myers, James (eds.), Encyclopedia of Chinese language and linguistics. Leiden: Brill. (https://referenceworks.brill.com/display/entries/ECLO/COM-00000347.xml?ebody=full-html) (Accessed 2023-09-19.) 10.1163/2210‑7363_ecll_COM_00000347
     https://doi.org/10.1163/2210-7363_ecll_COM_00000347 [Google Scholar]
  20. Evans, Jonathan P. & Sun, Jackson T.-S. & Chiu, Chenhao & Liou, Michelle
    2016 Uvular approximation as an articulatory vowel feature. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100315000146
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100315000146 [Google Scholar]
  21. Gao, Jiayin & Yun, Jihyeon & Arai, Takayuki
    2021 Korean laryngeal contrast revisited: An electroglottographic study on denasalized and oral stops. Laboratory Phonology(). –. (Article 7.) 10.5334/labphon.277
     https://doi.org/10.5334/labphon.277 [Google Scholar]
  22. Garellek, Marc
    2019 The phonetics of voice. InKatz, William F. & Assmann, Peter F. (eds.), The Routledge handbook of phonetics, –. New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9780429056253‑5
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056253-5 [Google Scholar]
  23. 2020 Acoustic discriminability of the complex phonation system in !Xóõ. Phonetica(). –. 10.1159/000494301
     https://doi.org/10.1159/000494301 [Google Scholar]
  24. 2022 Theoretical achievements of phonetics in the 21st century: Phonetics of voice quality. Journal of Phonetics. –. (Article 101155.) 10.1016/j.wocn.2022.101155
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2022.101155 [Google Scholar]
  25. Garellek, Marc & Keating, Patricia
    2011 The acoustic consequences of phonation and tone interactions in Jalapa Mazatec. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100311000193
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100311000193 [Google Scholar]
  26. Garellek, Marc & Ritchart, Amanda & Kuang, Jianjing
    2016 Breathy voice during nasality: A cross-linguistic study. Journal of Phonetics. –. 10.1016/j.wocn.2016.09.001
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2016.09.001 [Google Scholar]
  27. Gesang Jumian & Gesang Yangjing
    2002 Zangyu fangyan gailun. Beijing: The Ethnic Publishing House.
     [Google Scholar]
  28. Gobl, Christer & Ní Chasaide, Ailbhe
    1999 Voice source variation in the vowel as a function of consonantal context. InHardcastle, William J. & Hewlett, Nigel (eds.), Coarticulation: Theory, data and techniques, –. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  29. Gruber, James Frederick
    2011 An articulatory, acoustic, and auditory study of Burmese tone. Washington: Georgetown University. (Doctoral dissertation.)
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Hombert, Jean-Marie & Ohala, John J. & Ewan, William G.
    1979 Phonetic explanations for the development of tones. Language(). –. 10.2307/412518
     https://doi.org/10.2307/412518 [Google Scholar]
  31. Hu, Tan
    1991 Zangyu. InMa, Xueliang & Hu, Tan & Dai, Qingxia & Huang, Bufan & Wang, Tianxi & Xing, Gong-wan & Chen, Qiguang & Ni, Dabai (eds.), A general introduction to Sino-Tibetan languages, vol., –. Beijing: Peking University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Hua, Kan & Gabzangtar
    1997 The historical evolution of the sound system and phonetic of Songpan dialect of Tibetan language. Zhongguo Zangxue(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Huang, Bufan
    1995 Conditions for tonogenesis and tone split in Tibetan dialects. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area(). –. (Translated byJackson T.-S. Sun.) 10.32655/LTBA.18.1.03
     https://doi.org/10.32655/LTBA.18.1.03 [Google Scholar]
  34. Huang, Bufan & Zhang, Minghui
    1995 A study on the classification of Pema language. Zhongguo Zangxue(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  35. Jacques, Guillaume
    2014 Cone. InSun, Jackson T.-S. (ed.), Phonological profiles of little-studied Tibetic varieties, –. Taipei: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica.
     [Google Scholar]
  36. Klatt, Dennis H. & Klatt, Laura C.
    1990 Analysis, synthesis, and perception of voice quality variations among female and male talkers. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America(). –. 10.1121/1.398894
     https://doi.org/10.1121/1.398894 [Google Scholar]
  37. Kuang, Jianjing
    2011a Production and perception of the phonation contrast in Yi. Los Angeles: University of California, Los Angeles. (Master’s thesis.)
     [Google Scholar]
  38. 2011b Phonation contrast in two register contrast languages and its influence on vowel quality and tone. InLee, Wai-Sum & Zee, Eric (eds.), Proceedings of the 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS XVII), –. Hong Kong: City University of Hong Kong. (https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS2011/OnlineProceedings/RegularSession/Kuang/Kuang.pdf) (Accessed2024-09-13.)
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Kuang, Jianjing & Keating, Patricia
    2014 Vocal fold vibratory patterns in tense versus lax phonation contrasts. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America(). –. 10.1121/1.4896462
     https://doi.org/10.1121/1.4896462 [Google Scholar]
  40. Kuang, Jianjing & Cui, Aletheia
    2018 Relative cue weighting in production and perception of an ongoing sound change in Southern Yi. Journal of Phonetics. –. 10.1016/j.wocn.2018.09.002
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2018.09.002 [Google Scholar]
  41. Ladefoged, Peter
    1973 The features of the larynx. Journal of Phonetics(). –. 10.1016/S0095‑4470(19)31376‑2
     https://doi.org/10.1016/S0095-4470(19)31376-2 [Google Scholar]
  42. Laver, John
    1980 The phonetic description of voice quality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  43. Lin, You-Jing
    2014 Thebo. InSun, Jackson T.-S. (ed.), Phonological profiles of little-studied Tibetic varieties, –. Taipei: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica.
     [Google Scholar]
  44. Lin, You-Jing & Sun, Jackson T.-S. & Chen, Alvin C.
    2012 An acoustic study of the velarization contrast in Puxi Shangzhai. Yuyanxue Luncong. –.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Maddieson, Ian & Ladefoged, Peter
    1985 “Tense” and “lax” in four minority languages of China. Journal of Phonetics(). –. 10.1016/S0095‑4470(19)30788‑0
     https://doi.org/10.1016/S0095-4470(19)30788-0 [Google Scholar]
  46. Moisik, Scott R. & Czaykowska-Higgins, Ewa & Esling, John H.
    2021 Phonological potentials and the lower vocal tract. Journal of the International Phonetic Association(). –. 10.1017/S0025100318000403
     https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025100318000403 [Google Scholar]
  47. Ní Chasaide, Ailbhe & Gobl, Christer
    1993 Contextual variation of the vowel voice source as a function of adjacent consonants. Language and Speech(). –. 10.1177/002383099303600310
     https://doi.org/10.1177/002383099303600310 [Google Scholar]
  48. Nishida, Tatsuo & Sun, Hongkai
    1990 A study of the Baima-Chinese vocabulary. Kyoto: Shokado.
     [Google Scholar]
  49. Ohala, John J. & Ohala, Manjari
    1993 The phonetics of nasal phonology: Theorems and data. InHuffman, Marie K. & Krakow, Rena A. (eds.), Nasals, nasalization, and the velum, –. San Diego: Academic Press. 10.1016/B978‑0‑12‑360380‑7.50013‑2
     https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-360380-7.50013-2 [Google Scholar]
  50. Qu, Aitang
    1962 Zhuoni Zangyu de shengdiao yu shengyunmu de guanxi. Zhongguo Yuwen(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. 1991 Zangyu yunmu yanjiu. Xining: Qinghai Nationalities Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  52. Renzeng Wangmu
    Renzeng Wangmu 1987 The phonetic correspondence between Xiahe speech and Tibetan written language. Minzu Yuwen(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. Renzeng Wangmu
    Renzeng Wangmu 2013 Diebu Zangyu yanjiu. Beijing: Minzu University of China Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. Sims, Nathaniel A.
    2022 Tone and vowel uvularity in Rma. Cahiers de Linguistique - Asie Orientale(). –. 10.1163/19606028‑bja10026
     https://doi.org/10.1163/19606028-bja10026 [Google Scholar]
  55. Sun, Hongkai
    1980 Baima ren de yuyan. InSichuan Institute of Minority Nationalities (ed.), Baima Zangren zushu wenti taolunji, –. Chengdu: Sichuan Nationalities Research Center.
     [Google Scholar]
  56. 2003 Is Baima a dialect or vernacular of Tibetan?Cahiers de Linguistique - Asie Orientale(). –. 10.3406/clao.2003.1626
     https://doi.org/10.3406/clao.2003.1626 [Google Scholar]
  57. Sun, Hongkai & Chirkova, Katia & Liu, Guangkun
    2007 Baimayu yanjiu. Beijing: The Ethnic Publishing House.
     [Google Scholar]
  58. Sun, Jackson T.-S.
    2003a Phonological profile of Zhongu: A new Tibetan dialect of Northern Sichuan. Language and Linguistics(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  59. 2003b Sound features in Tibetan dialect Chosrje. Minzu Yuwen(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  60. 2003c Variegated tonal developments in Tibetan. InBradley, David & LaPolla, Randy J. & Michailovsky, Boyd & Thurgood, Graham (eds.), Language variation: Papers on variation and change in the Sinosphere and in the Indosphere in honour of James A. Matisoff, –. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
     [Google Scholar]
  61. 2006 Special linguistic features of gSerpa Tibetan. Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area(). –. 10.32655/LTBA.29.1.05
     https://doi.org/10.32655/LTBA.29.1.05 [Google Scholar]
  62. 2007 Perfective stem renovation in Khalong Tibetan. InBielmeier, Roland & Haller, Felix (eds.), Linguistics of the Himalayas and beyond, –. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110968996.323
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110968996.323 [Google Scholar]
  63. Sun, Jackson T.-S. & Evans, Jonathan P.
    2013 Mawo Qiangyu yuanyin yinxi zaitan. InShi, Feng & Peng, Gang (eds.), Eastward flows the great river: Festschrift in honor of Professor William S-Y. Wang on his 80th birthday, –. Kowloon: City University of Hong Kong Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  64. Suzuki, Hiroyuki
    2014 mBrugchu Tibetan Ongsum dialect phonetic description and dialectal comparison. Journal of Asian and African Studies. –.
     [Google Scholar]
  65. 2015a New perspectives on the suprasegmentals in mBrugchu Tibetan: An introduction to the tonogenesis triggered by breathy voice. Bulletin of Chinese Linguistics(). –. 10.1163/2405478X‑00801007
     https://doi.org/10.1163/2405478X-00801007 [Google Scholar]
  66. 2015b Esquisse phonétique du tibétain de dGonpa: un dialecte parlé à mBrugchu. Revue d’Etudes Tibétaines. –.
     [Google Scholar]
  67. Thurgood, Graham
    2017 Sino-Tibetan: Genetic and areal subgroups. InThurgood, Graham & LaPolla, Randy J. (eds.), The Sino-Tibetan languages, 2nd edn., –. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  68. Tournadre, Nicolas
    2013 The Tibetic languages and their classification. InOwen-Smith, Thomas & Hill, Nathan W. (eds.), Trans-Himalayan linguistics: Historical and descriptive linguistics of the Himalayan area, –. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 10.1515/9783110310832.105
     https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110310832.105 [Google Scholar]
  69. Van Way, John
    2018 The phonetics and phonology of Nyagrong Minyag, an endangered language of Western China. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. (Doctoral dissertation.)
     [Google Scholar]
  70. Wylie, Turrell
    1959 A standard system of Tibetan transcription. Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies. –. 10.2307/2718544
     https://doi.org/10.2307/2718544 [Google Scholar]
  71. Zhang, Jichuan
    1994a Baima speech and Tibetan language. Minzu Yuwen(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  72. 1994b Baima speech and Tibetan language (continued). Minzu Yuwen(). –.
     [Google Scholar]
  73. 1997 Particularités phonétiques du Baima. Cahiers de Linguistique - Asie Orientale(). –. 10.3406/clao.1997.1507
     https://doi.org/10.3406/clao.1997.1507 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
Loading
Pitch, vowel duration, and phonation in Baima and neighboring languages
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
/content/journals/10.1075/lali.00188.chi
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: Baima ; phonation contrasts ; Tibetic languages ; tense/lax vowel contrast ; tonogenesis

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error