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Tone and Accent in Oklahoma Cherokee
This book examines the tone and accent of Oklahoma Cherokee, in which six possible pitch patterns can occur on a low, high, low-high, high-low, lowfall, and superhigh. It provides a comprehensive description and analysis of these patterns, examining their distribution, their source, the principles that determine their positions, and the nature of tonal alternations.
The tone and accent of Oklahoma Cherokee displays some typologically unusual features, such as the glottal stop as the historical source for both high and lowfall tones, the coexistence of tonal and accentual systems, the existence of multiple accentual systems, and the morphosyntactic use of accents. Studies on tones in general have focused mainly on analytical languages or languages with little morphology, but Cherokee is unique in that it is polysynthetic at the same time as tonal. The emergence of tones in Oklahoma Cherokee is recent and its source is easily traceable, but the language has already developed a complex tonal alignment and tonal phonology.
Hiroto Uchihara's description of tone and accent in Oklahoma Cherokee will not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the sound system of Cherokee, but will also advance the historical study of Iroquoian languages as a whole, and the typological study of tonal and accentual systems more generally.
The tone and accent of Oklahoma Cherokee displays some typologically unusual features, such as the glottal stop as the historical source for both high and lowfall tones, the coexistence of tonal and accentual systems, the existence of multiple accentual systems, and the morphosyntactic use of accents. Studies on tones in general have focused mainly on analytical languages or languages with little morphology, but Cherokee is unique in that it is polysynthetic at the same time as tonal. The emergence of tones in Oklahoma Cherokee is recent and its source is easily traceable, but the language has already developed a complex tonal alignment and tonal phonology.
Hiroto Uchihara's description of tone and accent in Oklahoma Cherokee will not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the sound system of Cherokee, but will also advance the historical study of Iroquoian languages as a whole, and the typological study of tonal and accentual systems more generally.
322 pages, Hardcover
First published May 24, 2016
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April 16, 2025
This book is an immensely important work in Cherokee linguistics that offers valuable insight into the uses of pitch in Oklahoma Cherokee.
While the book may be too technical for a lay audience interested in the Cherokee language, it is a necessary read for any linguists who wish to learn more about Cherokee phonology. I hope that the insights Uchihara offers in this book may prove helpful in Cherokee language revitalization efforts.
If I have any issue with the book, it is that it puts me in the awkward position of having to explain in social settings why my favorite book is what many might consider a very dry and technical book on a very niche subject.
While the book may be too technical for a lay audience interested in the Cherokee language, it is a necessary read for any linguists who wish to learn more about Cherokee phonology. I hope that the insights Uchihara offers in this book may prove helpful in Cherokee language revitalization efforts.
If I have any issue with the book, it is that it puts me in the awkward position of having to explain in social settings why my favorite book is what many might consider a very dry and technical book on a very niche subject.
Displaying 1 of 1 review