The formula of accent / tone

Published: 7 November 2024| Version 1 | DOI: 10.17632/pwcn9k6kst.1
Contributor:
Ion Valentin Ciocioc

Description

Accent and tone are essential phonetic concepts, exhibiting significant variations across the world's languages and fulfilling distinct functions. In most languages, accent refers to suprasegmental aspects that influence the pronunciation of vowels and consonants, indicating a stressed syllable within a word or phrase, without altering the linguistic meaning of the words. In contrast, in tonal languages such as Chinese, tone is a crucial phonetic feature that can change the meaning of words, generating different interpretations for the same group of sounds. This aspect is often graphically marked by diacritics or numbering, playing a fundamental role in the semantic structure of the language. In certain languages, the functions of tone may be taken over by accent, making accent a significant characteristic in determining meaning. Additionally, the formula of the presented algorithm refers to the graphical representation of accent or tone and the associated information, maintaining a constant position in the formula to highlight its function within the sentence. This approach can benefit both blind and deaf-mute individuals, improving their access to information and quality of life. Adapting these methods to meet the specific needs of these groups can promote greater inclusion and enhance information accessibility.

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The formula of accent and tone represents an essential component of the metamorphosis formula. It refers to the accent and tone associated with words, as well as their variations depending on grammatical parameters such as gender, number, and case. The application of this formula in the theory of accent in modern Greek is significant, considering that the position of the accent undergoes considerable changes compared to other languages, thus facilitating the identification of patterns and usage. Furthermore, the accent formula not only highlights the relationship between tone and grammatical parameters but also contributes to the precise classification and organization of grammatical element categories, depending on the language used. The theoretical expression of accent and tone in formula form allows for a more coherent and fluid presentation of grammatical information, as it is impossible to provide examples from a single perspective without referring to other relevant aspects of characterizing grammatical elements. - depending on the language, certain information may present similarities to those expressed in Greek or may be absent, being replaced by others. This allows for the adaptation of the formula to the specificities of each language and the information expressed. - in languages where tone is not graphically represented, it manifests through the emphasis and intonation of words. This phenomenon can be compared to one of the tonal categories in the Chinese language and shows similarities to the intonation patterns specific to languages that use a distinct tone, such as modern Greek. - for the classification of tones, I extracted relevant information and categories from the Chinese language, noting the types of tones from 1 to 4. These were supplemented, where necessary, with elements identified from French and Greek. Thus, a universal classification was achieved and applied according to the specificities of each language. I used numbers in the form of algorithms to replace the names of the characteristics of existing grammatical terms in a language. For example, in Greek, the term ‘οξύτονο / oxitono’ refers to the syllable on which the tone is placed, marked with ‘1’, regardless of whether the numbering is done from right to left or from left to right (σn = n / 1 / n / n). If a language does not contain or name this characteristic, it is replaced with the general algorithm ‘1’.

Institutions

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

Categories

Linguistics, Mathematics, Individual Languages, Applied Mathematics, Applied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics, Formal Grammar, Corpus Linguistics, Formal Linguistics, English Grammar, Grammar, Chinese Language, Greek Language, Romanian Language, Linguistic Acculturation, First Language Use in Language Learning, Greece, Romania, Cognitive Linguistics, History of Linguistics, Universal Grammar, Generative Grammar, Categorial Grammar, Grammar by Language, Descriptive Linguistics, Functional Grammar, Comparative Linguistics, Educational Linguistics

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