A comparative analysis of tone structure in Akuapem Twi and Asante Twi: An acoustic account

This study comparatively examines the tonal structures of Akuapem Twi and Asante Twi. It precisely focuses on examining syntactic structures with similar tonal structures as well as those with different tonal structures in both dialects from an acoustic perspective. Subsidiary to the acoustic evidence, a further autosegmental formalization of the syntactic structures with different tonal structures areanalyzed to demonstrate the phonological and tonal rules triggering the differences. The mean of the pitch values of three (3) Akuapem Male Speakers and three (3) Akuapem Female speakers are compared with the Asante mean values identified in pronouncing the same syntactic structures tokens. The age range of speakers recorded is 20-60 years. Graphs showing the PRAAT pitch values show the syntacticstructures with similar as well as different tonal structures in both dialects. The paper concludes with the proposal that as a result of some tonal and phonological rules, syntactic structures such as pronominals and HḶH nouns, HL nouns, imperative verbs and a CV pronominal objects as well as pronominals and negative verbs with a CV post-position all have different tonal structures in both dialects.