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Document Details :

Title: Predictable Tone in Bena
Author(s): MORRISON, Michelle
Journal: Africana Linguistica
Volume: 20    Date: 2014   
Pages: 313-330
DOI: 10.2143/AL.20.0.3062075

Abstract :
Verbal tone in Bena is characterized by a single High tone per word. Roots are toneless, and inflected forms are assigned one of four tone melodies: Pre-Stem Initial (PSI), Macrostem Initial (MSI), Antepenultimate (APU), and Penultimate (PU). The location of H in an inflected form is entirely predictable through a combination of morphophonological criteria, including the morphological complexity of the verbal base, the tense and aspect of the verb, the form of the final suffix, and whether the verb is affirmative or negative.

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