The mid level tone in Xiamen: H-registered or L-registered?

Abstract

This paper re-examines the so-called dual nature of the mid level tone in Xiamen (Bao 1999). Based on tone distribution in (a) rhyming syllables in folk opera, (b) Mainstream Taiwanese naming, (c) adjective triplication, and (d) ABB adjectives, it is concluded that the tone in question is consistently low-registered in both underlying and derived environments. Moreover, in addition to listing six register possibilities the mid level tone allows, this paper also lays out Fuzhou tonal phenomena which pose a challenge to Bao's theory.