User:Smashhoof/Zulu Verb Tone

Below are links to Zulu verb inflection tables with tone. I used the sources listed below as well as my own elicitation. This is a work in progress, and I'll keep a list of my notes on this page. When this is complete, I will work on updating the Zulu verb inflection module to include tone, but I wanted to put this data here for others to see. It is possible that there are mistakes at this stage, but I will cross-reference with my own elicitation in the near future.

Key

• ː marks a long vowel
• ́ marks a high tone
• ̂ marks a falling tone (on long vowels only)
• There is automatic downstep between each successive high tone (unmarked)

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L Verbs

• lwa "to fight"
• ehla "to descend"
• hleka "to laugh"
• ethuka "to get a fright"
• hlakula "to weed"

H Verbs

• fa "to die"
• phuza "to drink"
• esaba "to fear"
• khuluma "to talk"

HH Verbs

• ona "to spoil, ruin, sin"
• bona "to see"

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Notes

• CVCVC-V low verbs: In the negative past, Poulos says the tone is LLHLHL, but Khumalo says LHLLHL. This could be a dialectal difference.
• Indicative principal present negative of VC roots needs to be checked.
• Principal remote past needs to be checked in V initial verbs.

References

• Khumalo, J. S. M. (1981). Zulu tonology. African Studies, 40(2), 53–130. doi:10.1080/00020188108707573. eprint: https://doi.org/10.1080/00020188108707573
• Khumalo, J. S. M. (1982). Zulu tonology. African Studies, 41(1), 3–125. doi:10.1080/00020188208707579. eprint: https://doi.org/10.1080/00020188208707579
• Khumalo, J. S. M. (1987). An autosegmental account of Zulu phonology (Ph.D. Thesis, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg).
• Khumalo, J. S. M. (1989). 'Leftward ho!' in Zulu tonology. South African Journal of African Languages, 9(2), 59-69. doi:10.1080/02572117.1989.10586780. eprint: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.1989.10586780
• Poulos, G., & Msimang, C. T. (1998). A linguistic analysis of Zulu. Cape Town: Via Afrika.