3 nd DRAFT—comments welcome, distribute if you like 1

Most studies of the poetic metrics of living languages concentrate on metrical systems based on stress. Most studies of metrical systems based on syllable weight are of languages that are no longer spoken. Study of metrics in living systems based on syllable weight are thus of interest for a theory of metrics. Many languages of the Chadic family have a long/short vowel distinction, and linguistic rhythm is based on syllable weight rather than stress. The poetic metrical system of Hausa, a language with such a phonological system, is rooted in syllable weight and has been fairly well studied, but there are no studies of poetry or song in any other Chadic language. This paper is primarily a description of a song style in Bole, a Chadic cousin of Hausa, but as part of a broader agenda, it seeks to show how principles of metrics that apply to the weight-based system of Hausa also apply to Bole. After a summary of the bases of metrics in Hausa, the paper takes up Bole kona, which is a “style ” comprising a particular text, song, and dance rhythm. The data consists of song texts from six different performances by women in Potiskum and Fika Nigeria, most a capella solo singing, but one with drum accompaniment and chorus. The song text is highly allusive and often difficult to interpret, suggesting a history of being passed verbatim from generation to generation. A structural analysis of the text shows that it breaks down into verses comprising couplets, each line of the couplet itself falling into two hemistiches. Examination of the phonological make up of the text shows that, despite numerous apparent irregularities, certain syllabic patterns predominate. These patterns suggest a limited set of textsettings in a metrical grid, and the proposed settings are confirmed by settings in live performance. A brief discussion of melodic aspects shows that there is a good correspondence between phonological tone and sung tune