Tonal Language (Noun)
Meaning
A language in which different tones distinguish different meanings.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language, distinguishing between words that sound the same but have different meanings based on their pitches.
- A tonal language requires a speaker to control the pitch and tone of their voice to convey the intended meaning.
- Vietnamese and Thai are both examples of tonal languages, presenting unique challenges for learners who are not used to the pitch-based system.
- Research has shown that speakers of tonal languages process tones in a different way than speakers of non-tonal languages.
- Unlike some Asian languages, Japanese is not technically a tonal language, but rather a pitch-accent language, with pitch used to distinguish certain words and grammatical features.