Rationale: Floating L is the exponent of the grammatical morpheme of a specific article, it appears in postposition to an NP. Besides, floating L is a component of tonal melodies of a limited number of words.

Rationale: /L/ can float, in particular, as an exponent of the difinite article.

Rationale:

Rationale: Only floating L is attested in Hausa. The following morphemes have a floating L tone in their form: the Nominalization suffix -ᶫwáː, the proximal suffix -ᶫnán, and the distal suffix -ᶫtʃán. Floating L tone is always added to the preceding syllable.

Rationale: The floating xL appears as the exponent of two morphemes: infinitive marker which is suffixed to a verbal stem; 3 SG personal pronoun of the non-subject series has two allomorphes: ȁ and floating xL.

Rationale: Floating M tone is postulated before the L-toned feet of the "constant" type and after the 3SG subject and non-subject pronouns. It cancels the H and L copying rules, and the H spread rule. Floating M tone is the exponent of the Imperative-Optative morpheme, it is suffxed to a verb and is docked on the final syllable of a verbal stem represented by a heavy foot, otherwise it is deleted.

Rationale: Floating H tones occur when their TBU is deleted.

Rationale: Floating L is a constituent of lexical tones of some nouns and of the infinitive marker ə́`. Besides, the L tone can be set afloat as a consequence of H tone spread.

Rationale: 1) A floating H tone is present at the end of the lexical form of some nouns, it prevents the preceding L tone of the root from falling to the usual low level of a L tone. 2) A suffixed floating H is postulated as the singular Imperative marker. If the stem-final tone of the verb is H, the floating H is erased. In a disyllabic L-toned verb, the floating H is docked onto the final syllable: tànkə̀ 'try' --> Imp. tànkə́ 'Try!' If a L-toned verb is monosyllabic, a schwa is added at the end, and the floating H is docked onto it: kùm 'touch' --> Imp. kùmə́! 'Touch!'

Rationale: a L tone can float