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Article published In: Diachronica
Vol. 42:2 (2025) ► pp.198–249

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Tonoexodus in Rma

ORCiD logo with link | University of Oregon
Published online: 27 May 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/dia.22017.sim
Abstract
There is an extensive literature on tonogenesis, yet the literature on tonoexodus is much less developed. This paper contributes to the knowledge of how tone systems can be lost through a diachronic study of tone in disyllables in Rma (also known as Qiāng), a Trans-Himalayan language spoken along the upper reaches of the Min River in Sichuan, China. There are both tonal and atonal Rma dialects. It has been argued that tonal patterns emerged from reanalysis of stress patterns as tones due to influence from Chinese. This paper argues that the tonoexodus scenario explains word-prosodic correspondences better than the alternative tonogenetic account.
Résumé
La littérature sur la tonogenèse est abondante. Cependant, la littérature sur le tonoexode est beaucoup moins développée. Cet article contribue à la connaissance de la manière dont les systèmes tonaux peuvent être perdus grâce à une étude diachronique du ton dans les disyllabes en rma (également appelé qiāng), une langue trans-himalayenne parlée le long du cours supérieur de la rivière Min dans le Sichuan, en Chine. Il existe des dialectes rma tonaux et atonaux (Evans 2001). Il a été avancé que les schémas tonaux sont apparus à la suite d’une réanalyse des schémas d’accentuation en tant que tons, sous l’influence de la langue chinoise. Cet article soutient que le scénario de la perte de tonalité explique mieux les correspondances mot-prosodie que l’autre explication tonogénétique.
Zusammenfassung
Zur Tonogenese gibt es umfangreiche Literatur, zum Tonoexodus ist sie dagegen weit weniger entwickelt. Dieser Aufsatz trägt durch eine diachrone Untersuchung des Zweisilben-Tons in Rma (auch als Qiāng bekannt) zum Wissen über den Verlust von Tonsystemen bei: ein Trans-Himalaya-Sprache, die am Oberlauf des Min-Flusses in Sichuan, China, gesprochen wird. Es gibt sowohl tonale als auch atonale Rma-Dialekte (Evans 2001), und es wurde argumentiert, dass Tonmuster aus der Reanalyse von Spannungsmustern als Töne aufgrund des Einflusses des Chinesischen entstanden seien. Dieser Artikel zeigt, dass das tonoexodische Szenario wortprosodische Korrespondenzen besser als erklärt die alternative tonogenetische Darstellung.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
    • 1.1Organization
    • 1.2Tone in Rma
    • 1.3Tone in Lóngxī and in Proto-Rma
  • 2.Southern varieties
    • 2.1Southeastern varieties
      • 2.1.1Miánchí
      • 2.1.2Luóbozhài
    • 2.2Southwestern varieties
      • 2.2.1Táopíng
      • 2.2.2Ρúxī
      • 2.2.3Mùkǎ
    • 2.3Discussion of SW and SE varieties
  • 3.Northern varieties
    • 3.1Yǒnghé
      • 3.1.1Phonetic measurements for the three-way tone distinction found on Yǒnghé nouns
    • 3.2Northwestern varieties
      • 3.2.1Northwestern Mào County (Qūgǔ, Rónghóng)
      • 3.2.2Sōngpān County
        • 3.2.2.1Xiǎoxìng
      • 3.2.3Hēishuǐ County
        • 3.2.3.1Máwō
        • 3.2.3.2Hóngyán
        • 3.2.3.3Shuāngliūsuǒ
        • 3.2.3.4Mùsū
      • 3.2.4Summary of tone patterns observed in Rma
  • 4.Further discussion
    • 4.1Reconstructing tone in Proto-Rma
    • 4.2Unresolved issues
      • 4.2.1Incompleteness of cognate sets
      • 4.2.2Irregularities
        • 4.2.2.1Irregular forms
        • 4.2.2.2Irregular compounds
        • 4.2.2.3Irregularities in words for months
      • 4.2.3Non-collapsed forms in NW
    • 4.3Summary
  • 5.Conclusion
    • 5.1Rma historical linguistics and dialectology
      • 5.1.1Current proposal
      • 5.1.2Previous classifications
    • 5.2Tone change
      • 5.2.1Dissimilation
      • 5.2.2Assimilation
      • 5.2.3Discussion of tone change
    • 5.3Tonoexodus and monosyllabicization
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Abbreviations
  • References
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