Phonology

The African continent offers a generous sample of the great variety of phonological systems to be found in the world's languages, as well as some original features of its own. African phonological systems range from the relatively simple to the staggeringly complex. Those on the more complex end of the spectrum contain phonemic contrasts little known elsewhere in the world, rich patterns of morphophonemic alternation, and intricate tonal and accentual systems, all offering stimulating grounds for phonetic and phonological study. This chapter offers a synthesis of recent work on African language phonology, focusing especially on their phoneme inventories, feature contrasts, syllable structure, and tone