Consonant-Tone Interaction as Agreement by Correspondence

This paper addresses the on-going debate over the distinction between Agreement by Correspondence (Hansson 2001; Rose and Walker 2004; a.o.) and the previously dominant theory of autosegmental feature spreading, focusing on a key conceptual difference between the two theories: the role of similarity as the basis of harmony patterns. It is argued that Agreement by Correspondence’s unique ability to make direct reference to similarity in determining segmental agreement makes it better suited for handling consonant-tone interaction, a phenomenon that has heretofore remained a challenge for autosegmental feature spreading accounts. This paper proposes that a single dimension—sonority, a common trigger of consonant harmony—underlies the relationship between segments and tone. Evidence for this view comes from a pattern of consonant-tone interaction in Dioula d’Odienné nouns, in which less sonorous onset consonants prevent leftwards tone spread (i.e., tone agreement) while more sonorous onsets facilitate the process. Agreement by Correspondence easily captures this similarity basis for tone: segments that are similar in sonority strive to become more similar by agreeing in tone specification. It is also shown that an Agreement by Correspondence system can capture more familiar depressor and elevator consonant-tone effects from high-ranking markedness and segmental opacity. While phenomena like Dioula d’Odienné’s differ from these typical depressor and elevator effects, they are necessary to consider in the development of a framework for consonant-tone interaction, as they provide potential motivation for shifting from autosegmental feature spreading to similaritybased approaches for harmony systems and for tone.