Dholuo Tonal Notations: a Study of Tone Levels and Their Representation

This work is a study of tone levels in Dholuo and their representation. Dholuo is a language spoken in East Africa. This study attempts to provide the tonal notations and their graphical representation for the non-speakers of Dholuo. Data used are the common Dholuo words grouped according to the number of syllables and tone pattern; monosyllabic, disyllabic, trisyllabic to other polysyllabic words. The words are recorded from the speech of speakers. The study is done in the framework of Autosegmental and CV phonology. The various tone patterns in Dholuo words are given with their phonetic level noted numerically. The various words are studied in groups based on their tonal patterns. Selected properties of Dholuo phonology have bearing on tones. Some of the properties of tone dealt with include: stability, one-to-many and many-to-one associations. Here other features of Dholuo phonology such as compensatory lengthening and vowel deletion have been mentioned. In conclusion, representation of tones by use of Chao tone letters is not only possible in the treatment of Dholuo tonal system but also highlights some of the phonological processes that influence the tonal configuration.