My Theory of Accent: from a Fieldworker's Point of View(Features on the Theoretical Studies on Accent)

Abstract

The tonal phenomena we observe are composed of tonal layers, such as accent in a narrow sense, phrase intonation, each of which has its own function. Phonological interpretation of accent means the separation of these layers and extraction of accent. Segmental environments are concerned with interpretation, but grammatical information is not. Morphophonemic regularities, such as compound noun accent rules, are treated and described differently from phonological interpretation. These findings on accent are based on my fieldwork.