Phonation Variation and Strategy of Tone Distinction: The Case of Meiba Bai

The tonal system in Bai has attracted much attention for its complex combination of pitch and phonation features. What makes it more complicated is that the phonation varies across Bai dialects. In this paper. we examine the tonal quality of Meiba Bai by analyzing FO (fundamental frequency), OQ (open quotient). and SQ (speed quotient), which are extracted from electroglottographic signals of 28 speakers. Results indicate that the contrast between tones is not only confirmed in FO (corresponding to pitch), but also manifested in OQ and SQ that reflect phonation manner. Moreover, this paper introduces the concept of "strategy of tone distinction", which can be applied in investigating the phonation variation. It shows that the phonation variation is neither arbitrary nor motiveless in Meiba Bai. Variation is always within three primary strategies, and the non-primary strategies are adopted only when the individuals' physical condition of phonation degenerated.