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Nigeria's free digital learning hub. Videos, lecture notes, practice questions and leaderboards aligned with CCMAS, NBTE, NCCE, WAEC, NECO, IJMB and JAMB curricula.
This course examines the two major types of tone systems found in the world's languages: register tone systems and contour tone systems. It explores the characteristics of register tones, which are distinguished by relatively stable pitch levels such as high, mid, and low tones, and contour tones, which involve pitch movements such as rising, falling, dipping, and rising-falling patterns. Students will learn how these tone systems function in different languages and how they contribute to lexical and grammatical meaning. The course also investigates the phonetic realization, representation, and analysis of tonal patterns, highlighting similarities and differences between register and contour systems. Through examples from a variety of tonal languages, learners will gain practical skills in identifying, describing, and interpreting tonal contrasts and behaviors.
This lecture is part of LIN 306 Tone Systems in the Linguistics department. The course has 45 recorded lectures across 10 series, all free to watch. Read or download the LIN 306 lecture note to study alongside the video.