The fifth meeting of the Princeton Phonology Forum (PɸF 2026) will be held on May 15-16, 2026.
The theme of PɸF 2026 Register and Tonal Representation.
In recent decades, two major lines of research in tonal phonology have been concerned with 1) whether to represent tonal categories as tonal primitives or with subtonal features, and 2) how to account for registral effects like upstep and downstep. There has been considerable diversity in the treatment of registral effects, with some scholars attributing upstep and downstep to the presence of floating tones, some modeling them with register features, and yet others viewing them as simply a result of the phonetic implementation of sequences of certain tones. Some models, like Register Tier Theory, unite these two research programs with a representation in which tonal categories are comprised of both tonal and register features, linking register and tone as constituent parts of the same phonological unit. Register is often one of the lesser-studied aspects of tonal systems, especially for languages with more than two tone categories, so there is still much unknown about its typological properties. Consequently, the study of register and its connection to tonal representation is promising for furthering our understanding of tonal systems broadly.
This workshop aims to foster fruitful discussions about the empirical landscape of tonal features and/or registral effects like upstep and downstep, and the implications of these effects on our theories of tonal representation. To do so, we are bringing together scholars who have been involved in different facets of these debates to share how the languages they study weigh on questions of tonal representation and register.
Speakers
Pius Akumbu (CNRS/LLACAN)
Gabriela Caballero (UC San Diego)
Claudia Duarte-Borquez (UC San Diego)
Larry Hyman (UC Berkeley)
Florian Lionnet (Princeton)
Laura McPherson (Dartmouth College)
Nicholas Rolle (Princeton)
Keith Snider (SIL)
Anthony Struthers-Young (Princeton)
Schedule, abstracts & slides
The schedule and abstracts will be posted at a later date.
Registration
Registration is free, but is required for attending in person and/or for receiving the live-streaming link. To register, please complete this registration form.
Venue, transportation, and lodging
tba.
Contact information
Organizers: Florian Lionnet and Anthony Struthers-Young
Email addresses: flionnet@princeton.edu, astruthersyoung@princeton.edu
