tone beginning
/toʊn bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ/
noun
- The first part of a syllable in a tonal language, which carries a specific pitch pattern.
- Students practiced distinguishing the tone-beginning of similar-sounding syllables.
- The linguist analyzed the tone-beginning of each word in the recording.
- In Mandarin, the tone-beginning of a syllable can change the meaning of the word.
Synonyms