Previously, and by that I mean quite some time ago, we set the stage to understand the different types of languages classified by the extent to which certain properties of speech are used to distinguish between lexical terms, with two of the most salient ones being stress and tone. This has led us to two … Continue reading So, what are ‘pitch-accent’ languages?
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Are there languages with fewer than 2 phonemic vowels?
Amongst the languages of the world, some are known for having an unusually large number of phonemic vowels in their phonological inventories, with one of the most popular examples being the Danish language, if we are discounting additional phonation types like breathiness. Today, I want to take a look in the other extreme, and try … Continue reading Are there languages with fewer than 2 phonemic vowels?
What even are ‘pitch-accent’ languages? (Setting the stage)
When you browse through introductions of many languages, you would come across terms such as 'tonal language' and 'pitch-accent language' used to describe some of these languages. For instance, the Chinese languages are among the most well-known tonal languages, while Japanese is amongst the most well-known pitch-accent languages. Furthermore, there are some languages that appear … Continue reading What even are ‘pitch-accent’ languages? (Setting the stage)
The Language Closet 