This is a default tone assigned to toneless segments, not a proper toneme
Toneme composition:
L
Allotones:
  • If a tone is contrastive and it persists in all contexts (i.e., it is not affected by tonal processes which could be regarded as criteria of tonemic status), such tone is considered to be a toneme.
  • If a tonal contour can be realized on a segmental unit (most often, word) represented by a sequence of TBUs, but can also be hosted by a segmental unit of the same level (e.g., a word) consisting of a single TBU, this tonal contour is a toneme.
  • If a language has a tonal contour realized on one TBU composed of levels which are not available in this language as tonemes, this contour is a toneme.
  • If a tonal contour can appear on one TBU as an element of an exponent of a single morpheme, and the contour is not a result of a tonal process (such as tonal spread, etc.), this contour is a toneme.
  • If a tone can float, it is a toneme
  • An additive or replacive tonal (non-segmental) morpheme contains at least one toneme.
  • If two level tones can be assigned to one TBU, both tones are tonemes (unless this contour is a toneme, see creteria for the contour tonemes above) , and neither is Ø.
  • If a tone appears as a part of condition in a tonal rule, it is a toneme.
  • If there are positional constraints for a tone relative to some segmental unit, this tone is a toneme.
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