View source for Upstep

{{Short description|Raising of the pitch of a second, same-tone syllable}}
{{Infobox IPA
| above = Upstep
| ipa symbol   = ꜛ◌
| ipa symbol2  = ꜞ◌
| ipa symbol3  = ꜟ◌
| ipa number   = 518
| decimal1     = 42779
}}
In [[linguistics]], '''upstep''' is a [[phoneme|phonemic]] or [[phonetic]] upward shift of [[tone (linguistics)|tone]] between the syllables or words of a [[tonal language]]. It is best known in the tonal languages of [[Sub-Saharan Africa]]. Upstep is a much rarer phenomenon than its counterpart, [[downstep]].

The symbol for upstep in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet]] is a [[superscript]] upward [[arrow (symbol)|arrow]] [{{IPA|ꜛ}}] ([<sup>{{IPA|↑}}</sup>]). However, it is common, especially in the early research, to find a superscript (or sometimes subscript) inverted exclamation mark [{{IPA|ꜞ}}] ([<sup>{{IPA|¡}}</sup>]) or [<sub>{{IPA|¡}}</sub>], because of typographical constraints.

[[Hausa language|Hausa]] has upstep because of the interaction of tones when they are placed in context:{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}}

:{{IPA|[túránꜛtʃí nè]}}
:''It's English.''

Upstep is superficially similar to [[pitch reset]], which is nearly universal in the [[prosody (linguistics)|prosody]] of the world's languages. The most common [[prosodic unit|prosodic contours]] occur in chunks with gradually declining pitch (here transcribed as a global fall, [↘]). Between such chunks, the pitch resets:

:Been there. Done that.
:{{IPA|[ꜛbɪn ðɛɹ↘ ꜛdɐn ðæt↘ ]}}

== Occurrence ==
Upstep occurs in various Sub-Saharan African languages, for example:{{fix|text=are these phonetic or phonemic?}}

* [[Bokoto language|Bokoto]], an [[Ubangian]] language of the [[Central African Republic]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}
* [[Duma language|Duma]] and [[Wandji]], [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] B languages of [[Gabon]].<ref>Puech, Gilbert (1990). Upstep in a Bantu tone language. Pholia 5.175-1186.</ref><ref>[http://www.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/fulltext/Gabon/pholiapdf/pholia5/Puech_1990_bantu_phol5.pdf Puech 1990]</ref>
* [[Engenni language|Engenni]], an [[Edoid]] language of [[Nigeria]].<ref>Snider, Keith Tonal 'upstep' in Engenni. Journal of West African Languages 27:1.3-15.</ref><ref>Hyman, Larry (1993). Register tones and tonal geometry. In ed. [[Harry van der Hulst]] & Keith L. Snider, The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register, 85-89. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref><ref>Thomas, Elaine (1974). Engenni. In Ten Nigerian tone systems. Studies in Nigerian Languages, Vol. 4. (ed.) John Bendor-Samuel. Jos and Kano: Institute of Linguistics and Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages.</ref><ref>Thomas, Elaine (1978). A grammatical description of the Engenni language. Arlington TX: University of Texas at Arlington and SIL.</ref>
* [[Hausa language|Hausa]], a [[Chadic]] language of [[Nigeria]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}
* [[Kirimi language|Kirimi]], a [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] F language of Tanzania.<ref>Hyman, Larry (1993). Register tones and tonal geometry. In ed. Harry van der Hulst & Keith L. Snider, The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register, 94-103. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref>
* [[Krachi language|Krachi]], a [[Guang languages|Guang]] language of [[Ghana]].<ref>Snider, Keith L. (1990). Tonal Upstep in Krachi: Evidence for a Register Tier. In The geometry and features of tone. Dallas: SIL and University of Texas at Arlington.</ref>
* [[Mankon language|Mankon]], a [[Grassfields languages|Grassfields]] language of Cameroon.<ref>Hyman, Larry (1993). Register tones and tonal geometry. In ed. Harry van der Hulst & Keith L. Snider, The Phonology of Tone: The Representation of Tonal Register, 89-94. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.</ref><ref>Leroy, Jacqueline (1977). Morphologie et classes nominales in mankon. Paris: Société d'Etudes Linguistiques et Anthropologiques de France.</ref><ref>Leroy, Jacqueline (1979). A la recherche de tons perdus: structure tonal du nom en ngemba. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 1.31-54.</ref><ref>Hyman, Larry & Maurice Tadadjeu (1976). Floating tones in Mbam-Nkam. In ed. Larry Hyman, Studies in Bantu Tonology. University of Southern California: Occasional Papers in Linguistics.</ref>
* [[Mbelime language|Mbelime]], a [[Gur languages|Gur]] language of [[Benin]].<ref>Mellick, Christina (2012). Tone in the Mbelime verb system. Dallas, TX: Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics. Masters thesis, p. 82-84</ref>
* [[Mbugwe language|Mbugwe]], a [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] F language of [[Tanzania]].<ref>Wilhelmsen, Vera (2013). Upstep in Mbugwe: a description of upstep in Mbugwe verbs. Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Bantu Languages, Paris.</ref><ref>[https://www.academia.edu/4179373/Handout_at_Bantu_5_Upstep_in_Mbugwe Wilhelmsen 2013]</ref>
* [[Nupe language|Nupe]], a [[Benue-Congo]] language of [[Nigeria]].<ref>[[Jason Kandybowicz]] (2008). The Grammar of Repetition: Nupe grammar at the syntax–phonology interface. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.</ref>

Upstep also occurs in at least one [[Central American]] language:

* [[Peñoles Mixtec language|Peñoles Mixtec]], an [[Oto-Manguean]] language of [[Mexico]].<ref>Yip, Moira (2002). Tone. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp 217-219</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Downstep]], which is more commonly phonemic.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Suprasegmentals}}

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[[Category:Phonetics]]