Tone is about melody and meaning, inflection is about grammar, and this book is about a bit of both by studying complex ways in which the tones of a given language engage in the expression of grammatical meaning. The book includes chapters on both general issues concerning tone and inflection as well as case studies on lesser known languages of Asia, Africa, Papua New Guinea, and Mesoamerica, with a special focus on the Oto-Manguean languages.
