浮动声调

浮动声调是语素^[1]中的元素，不包含辅音和元音，仅包含音调。它无法单独发音，但会影响相邻语素的音调。 ^[2] ^[3]

例如在班巴拉语中，有两个音调：高音和低音。^[4]在这种语言中，定冠词为一低浮动声调（floating low tone）；定冠词与一个孤立的名词连用时，这个低浮动声调与前面的元音相连，将高音变为降调（falling tone）：[bá]泛指所有的河； [bâ]则是指某条特定的河。当低浮动声调出现在两个高音之间时，它会将以下音调降低：

[bá tɛ́]：它不是一条河
[bá tɛ̄]或[bá ꜜ tɛ́]：它不是这（那）条河

与词缀之类的音段语素相关联的浮动声调同样常见。^[5]例如，在尼日利亚的埃多德语（英语：Edoid languages）^[6]中，主要的否定语素与现在时语素只通过声调区分；现在时语素 (á-) 本身为高音，而过去时的否定语素 (´a-) 将该语素之前的音节上变为高音：

oh á-nga 他在攀爬
oh a-nga 他没有在攀爬

历史上，浮动声调源自语音同化^[7]或辅音弱化 ^[8]到仅保留其音调的语素。 ^[9]

参考文献

^ Clark, Mary M. 1993. "Representation of downstep in Dschang Bamileke". The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register, ed. by Harry van der Hulst and Keith Snider. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Pp. 29-73
^ Mary Paster, UC Berkeley, "FLOATING TONES IN GÃ *" http://elanguage.net/journals/index.php/sal/article/view/1366/925 （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）
^ Wentum, Comfort. 1997. A Lexical Tonology of Ga. Legon: University of Ghana, M. Phil thesis.
^ Clements, G. N. and Kevin C. Ford. 1979. "Kikuyu tone shift and its synchronic consequences." Linguistic Inquiry 10: 179-210.
^ Kropp-Dakubu, Mary E. 1986. "Downglide, floating tones and non-WH questions in Ga and Dangme." The Phonological Representation of Suprasegmentais, ed. by Koen Bogers, Harry van der Hulst, and Maarten Mous. Dordrecht: Foris Publications. Pp. 153-173.
^ Zimmerman, 1. 1858. A grammatical sketch and vocabulary of the Akra- or Galanguage with an appendix on the Adanme dialect. Stuttgart, 2 vols. Republished with an Introduction by 1. Berry, Gregg International, 1972.
^ Goldsmith, John. 1976. Autosegmental Phonology. Cambridge: MIT, PhD. dissertation. Distributed by IULe.
^ Okunor, Vincent. 1969. Tone in the Ga verb. Legon: Institute of African Studies. Paster, Mary. 2000. "Issues in the tonology of Ga." Columbus: Ohio State University, Undergraduate thesis.
^ Trutenau, H.M.J. 1972. "A sketch of tone rules required for a generative transformational grammar of Ga (a terraced level tone language)." Linguistics 79: 83-96.

[1] Clark, Mary M. 1993. "Representation of downstep in Dschang Bamileke". The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register, ed. by Harry van der Hulst and Keith Snider. Berlin/New York: Mouton de Gruyter. Pp. 29-73

[2] Mary Paster, UC Berkeley, "FLOATING TONES IN GÃ *" http://elanguage.net/journals/index.php/sal/article/view/1366/925 （页面存档备份，存于互联网档案馆）

[3] Wentum, Comfort. 1997. A Lexical Tonology of Ga. Legon: University of Ghana, M. Phil thesis.

[4] Clements, G. N. and Kevin C. Ford. 1979. "Kikuyu tone shift and its synchronic consequences." Linguistic Inquiry 10: 179-210.

[5] Kropp-Dakubu, Mary E. 1986. "Downglide, floating tones and non-WH questions in Ga and Dangme." The Phonological Representation of Suprasegmentais, ed. by Koen Bogers, Harry van der Hulst, and Maarten Mous. Dordrecht: Foris Publications. Pp. 153-173.

[6] Zimmerman, 1. 1858. A grammatical sketch and vocabulary of the Akra- or Galanguage with an appendix on the Adanme dialect. Stuttgart, 2 vols. Republished with an Introduction by 1. Berry, Gregg International, 1972.

[7] Goldsmith, John. 1976. Autosegmental Phonology. Cambridge: MIT, PhD. dissertation. Distributed by IULe.

[8] Okunor, Vincent. 1969. Tone in the Ga verb. Legon: Institute of African Studies. Paster, Mary. 2000. "Issues in the tonology of Ga." Columbus: Ohio State University, Undergraduate thesis.

[9] Trutenau, H.M.J. 1972. "A sketch of tone rules required for a generative transformational grammar of Ga (a terraced level tone language)." Linguistics 79: 83-96.

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