This book illustrates an approach to prosodic typology through descriptions of the intonation and the prosodic structure of thirteen typologically different languages based on the same theoretical framework, the ‘autosegmental-metrical’ model of intonational phonology, and the transcription system of prosody known as ToBI (Tones and Break Indices). It is the first book introducing the history and principles of ToBI. It presents eleven ToBI systems ranging from European languages, Asian languages, an Australian aboriginal language, and an American Indian language, illustrating the flexibility a ... More

This book illustrates an approach to prosodic typology through descriptions of the intonation and the prosodic structure of thirteen typologically different languages based on the same theoretical framework, the ‘autosegmental-metrical’ model of intonational phonology, and the transcription system of prosody known as ToBI (Tones and Break Indices). It is the first book introducing the history and principles of ToBI. It presents eleven ToBI systems ranging from European languages, Asian languages, an Australian aboriginal language, and an American Indian language, illustrating the flexibility and integrity of the ToBI system. The last chapter of the book proposes a model of prosodic typology based on two prosodic categories, prominence and rhythmic/prosodic unit.