An Acoustic Analysis of Tone in Sesotho

This paper presents one of the first acoustic investigations into the realization of tone in Sesotho, a Southern African language, employing a set of recorded minimal pairs, whose F0 contours are analyzed using the Fujisaki model. Analysis of model parameters shows that high tones are associated with tone commands whereas low tones either follow the phrase contour or are marked by creaky voice. In some minimal pairs, partners differed only with respect to vowel quality, with the expected high and low tone associated with closed and open vowels, respectively. Question intonation is marked by raising the F0 contour, which is reflected by higher phrase command magnitudes and a shortening of the penultimate syllable.