Toward a typology of tonogenesis: Revising the model

Abstract

The birth of tone, or tonogenesis, has been an area of research for over a century, yet we are still unable to predict how and when a language will acquire tone. This article compiles a typology by researching tonogenesis from 40 different languages across a range of families. Each tonogenetic event within these languages is coded for syntagmatic position, manner and laryngeal setting of the tonogenetic trigger. I further make a distinction between 'strict' tonogenesis, when a language acquires tone for the first time, as something distinct from 'broad' tonogenesis, in which a tonal language develops additional tones. The results of this typology then reveal several novel findings, including the prevalence of onset-conditioned tonogenesis and the importance of sonority in strict tonogenesis. In summary, I show that the Vietnamese model is not applicable in most cases and that tonogenesis is a highly varied phenomenon, warranting further detailed study and a more refined model.