Tone
Vietnamese vowels are all pronounced with an inherent tone. Tones differ in
- pitch
- length
- contour melody
- intensity
- phonation (with or without accompanying constricted vocal cords)
Unlike many Native American, African, and Chinese languages, Vietnamese tones do not rely solely on pitch contour. Vietnamese often uses instead a register complex (which is a combination of phonation type, pitch, length, vowel quality, etc.). So perhaps a better description would be that Vietnamese is a register language and not a "pure" tonal language.
In Vietnamese orthography, tone is indicated by diacritics written above or below the vowel.
Read more about this topic: Vietnamese Phonology
Famous quotes containing the word tone:
“Eloquence resides as much in the tone of voice, in the eyes, and in the expression of the face, as in the choice of words.”
—François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)
“We often contradict an opinion when it is actually only the tone with which it was put forward that is uncongenial to us.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“He doesn’t know a damn thing about China ... That’s what makes him an expert. He knows nothing about music, being tone deaf. That’s what makes him a musician ... And he’s batty in the head. That’s what makes him a philosopher.”
—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)