Multidimensionality of tone in Pahari

Abstract

The current study investigated the contribution of different acoustic dimensions to tonal contrasts in Pahari, an understudied language in the Pakistan-administrated part of Kashmir. While previous research on the tonal languages of the region focused only on overall pitch patterns, the present study analyzed fundamental frequency (F0), duration, intensity and phonation type. Monosyllabic lexical words that form minimal triplets with identical CV structures were recorded from eight native speakers. Detailed acoustic analyses showed that Pahari is tonal at the lexical level with three distinct tones, High, Mid and Low, characterized by high-falling, mid-level and low-rising F0 contours respectively. The study established that five acoustic cues jointly contribute to the lexical tonal contrast in Pahari. The height of F0 is the most salient and final velocity helps to distinguish the Low tone from the other two tones. Intensity and phonation help to distinguish the Low tone from the Mid tone and duration helps to distinguish the High tone from the Mid and Low tones. It is concluded that Pahari has a three-way tonal contrast realized with multiple phonetic cues. The multiplicity of cues for the tonal contrast in the language raises interesting questions about the notion of distinctive features and the principle of economy of representation.