Tonomorphology of the Tsonga noun
P‐D. Cole‐Beuchat · African Studies · 1959
SYNOPSIS Each syllable in Tsonga carries a toneme, either high or low. For disyllabic noun stems there are four possible combinations of these tonemes, i.e. four possible tonomorphemes. For trisyllabic stems there are eight possibilities and for quadrisyllable stems sixteen. Not all such theoretical possibilities seem to occur. The basic tonomorpheme of a Tsonga noun, from which other tonomorphemes can be derived, is that of the noun used as subject of a verb, and preceding that verb. This basic tonomorpheme also occurs when the noun, as object, follows a verb whose tonomorphemes are all low, or when it is object of the verb and is followed by an adjective, demonstrative, possessive or other modifier. A noun separated from the verb by another noun also has the basic tonomorpheme, unless the first noun is itself followed by a modifier. Two other series of tonomorphemes exist: their occurrence is similarly determined by the position and/or environment of the noun in the sentence. After a negative verb a noun and its modifiers assume “all high” tonomorphemes. Locatives behave like uninfiected nouns, as they too assume four different tonomorphemes, depending on their environment. Deverbative nouns retain the basic tonomorphemes of the verbal radicals from which they are derived. The tonomorphemes of diminutive nouns can be predicted from the basic tonomorphemes of the stems from which they are derived. Apparently irregular nouns behave regularly tonologically if their prefix and stem are treated as one tone bearing unit.