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| Title: | On the Representation of Tone in Alaska Athabaskan Practical Orthographies |
| Author: | Gary Holton |
| Email: | click here to access email |
| Homepage: | http://go.alaska.edu/gmholton |
| Institution: | University of Alaska Fairbanks |
| Linguistic Field: | Phonology; Writing Systems |
| Subject Language Family: | Athapascan-Eyak-Tlingit |
| Abstract: | This paper examines current and past approaches to representing tone in Alaska Athabaskan orthographies. Representation of tone in Alaska Athabaskan languages is complicated by two structural factors: the relatively low functional load of tone; and the phonological abstractness of the tone systems. A survey of existing orthographies reveals that literacy rates are not necessarily improved by shallower marking of surface pitch distinctions. Several factors are shown to complicate the teaching and acquisition of literacy in shallow tone orthographies. The usefulness of tone marking is evaluated in light of both the phonological and experiential evidence. In many instances, shallow tone marking has served as a barrier to literacy, thus the related goals of literacy and language maintenance may be better served by deeper tone orthographies. |
| Type: | Individual Paper |
| Status: | In Progress |
| Venue: | Athabascan Languages Conference |
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