F0 Timing and Tone Contrasts in Luganda

Abstract

Abstract Scholars of Luganda (Bantu, Uganda) have described a contrast between falling and high tone, which is limited to syllables with a long vowel or a coda. The contrast has been represented with H on the first mora of a falling-tone syllable and on both moras in a high-tone syllable. This article explores this contrast through an instrumental study of the timing of f₀ events in Luganda. It was found that the 2-tone classes differed in the timing of both the f₀ rise and the subsequent f₀ fall, supporting a reanalysis of the contrast as one between an early high tone and a late high tone. It was also found that for the speakers in this study, the contrast was limited to syllables with long vowels. The timing of f₀ events was sensitive to the duration of segments in the CVC interval centered on the high-toned syllable, including non-moraic elements and consonants outside the syllable. The association of a tone to a syllable identifies the segments relevant for the timing of the f₀ contour, but that timing is not directly sensitive to the interval of the syllable.