Tone and depression in Phuthi

Abstract

This paper outlines key tone and voice quality properties in Phuthi, a Nguni (Bantu) language spoken in southern Lesotho and the northern Transkei (South Africa). The focus is the phonological presence of high tone (H) in Phuthi, and its interaction with other tones, both H and L. From verbs that employ a single H tone sponsor (lexical paradigms), the paper proceeds to the interaction of these patterns with the class of object prefixes, then to the patterns encountered in grammatical (non-indicative) paradigms with two Hs in a single verb stem. Finally, I examine the interaction of H with potentially multisyllabic tonal ‘depressor domains’ that condition low tone. Depressor domains are triggered in the phonology by depressed (apparently breathy voiced) segments—and also in the morphology and the lexicon. The paper catalogues potential right-edge prominence targets in H domain expansion, the nature of the proposed active L tone, and the role of a domain head in the resolution of depressor/tone conflicts (including ‘depressor-induced H tone shift’).