Left-edge tonal events in Kayardild (Australian) — a typological perspective

To date, most intonational typologies have been formulated on the basis of an analysis of a handful of the world s languages. In this study, intonational patterns were examined in an indigenous Australian language, Kayardild. This language appears to differ from other languages of the region in that intonation is not solely delimitative, and a wider variety of phrasal melodies are also observed, particularly at the left edge of intonational units. Moreover, the placement of certain intonational events gives rise to certain pragmatic or semantic nuances, suggesting that the intonational typology of the language is quite different from its geographical near-neighbours.