Hubert Devonish, Talking rhythm stressing tone: The role
of prominence in Anglo-West African Creole languages. Kingston,
Jamaica: Arawak Publications, 2002. Pp. 192. Pb $20.00.
Talking rhythm stressing tone attempts to accomplish two
equally significant aims. First, it attempts an exposition of a theory of
prominence that provides a coherent synthesis of diverse views on
phonological prominence. Second, it attempts an explanation of the
structure of some prosodic features of Anglo-West African creoles using
this theory. The proposals of the theory of prominence provide fresh
insights into issues such as moracity, tone and stress assignment, and
syntax-tone interaction. The theory proposes that well-known issues such
as the association of stress and tone with moras or positions within a
domain in languages result from phonological prominence effects. This is
the first time an integrated approach, in the form of prominence theory,
has been proposed to look at these issues.