Tonal Processes in the Kom Language: An Autosegmental Approach

Abstract

This study examined tonal processes in the Kom language, a Bantu language spoken in North West Cameroon. To identify tonal changes in the Kom language, Kom native speakers serving as language consultants were made to pronounce a list of words in isolation and in frames of phrases. When the language consultants read these same words in different frames, it was realized that they pronounced them differently in different contexts. The alternations observed when moving from underlying forms to surface realizations were scrutinized and patterns of regularity regarding the changes were revealed. These changes included tone lowering, tone simplification, low tone spread, tonal metathesis and tone docking. To illustrate what happened that made underlying forms surface with different tonal patterns, autosegmental derivations were constructed showing the step-wise processes that map underlying forms to their surface realizations. The derivations showed significant interaction between tonal changes and vowel alternations. Finally, tone rules that appeared to regulate tonal behaviour were formulated following the Autosegmental Phonology formalism.