slit-log drum, tukoko

Slit-log drum system of the Banen people of Cameroon, described with some simple transcriptions by Dugast (1955). The drum itself is called tukoko (711). The language is two-toned (Wilkinson 1975), corresponding to two tones H and L on the drum (Dugast 1955:739); the derived M tone described by Wilkinson appears not to be encoded (i.e., it must be collapsed into a high or low note). One drum strike encodes a single syllable. Rising and falling contours are variably encoded as either simplified single tones (e.g. a single H tone for a rising contour) or sequential strikes (e.g. a LH sequence for a rising contour) (738). Some post-lexical contour-producing processes seem to be encoded on the drum: ‘D’autres monosyllabes à ton bas, lorsqu’ils sont placés dans un contexte, prennent un ton glissant montant; à ce moment-là, il y a deux frappes au tambour’ [Other L-toned monosyllables, when placed in context, take on a rising contour; in this instance, there are two strikes on the drum] (739). One interesting phonological aspect is evident in Dugast’s transcriptions; word-initial syllabic nasals (regardless of their position in the phrase) seem to be variably encoded as one syllable. It is unclear if this follows phonetic realization, syllabification rules, or varies for nonlinguistic reasons. Enphrasing is consistently used, drawn from a repertoire of poetic phrases and metaphors (710). Archaic vocabulary is preserved as well (711). Content includes long-distance communication, announcements for official or social purposes, encouragement to dancers during celebrations, ceremonial purposes in funerals, the recitation of proverbs, insults (721) and names (see Tunen whistle system).

Dugast, I. (1976). 36. LE LANGAGE TAMBOURINÉ OU SIFFLÉ CHEZ LES BANEN. In T. A. Sebeok & J. Umiker-Sebeok, Speech Surrogates: Drum and Whistle Systems (pp. 708–741). De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110804423-007