Explore Downstep through 4 example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.
Downstep in a sentence
Downstep meaning
A downward shift of tone between the syllables or words of a tonal language.
Using Downstep
- The main meaning on this page is: A downward shift of tone between the syllables or words of a tonal language.
- In the example corpus, downstep often appears in combinations such as: tone downstep, downstep system.
Context around Downstep
- Average sentence length in these examples: 20 words
- Position in the sentence: 1 start, 2 middle, 1 end
- Sentence types: 4 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Downstep
- In this selection, "downstep" usually appears in the middle of the sentence. The average example has 20 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, tone, cause and system stand out and add context to how "downstep" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include may cause downstep or it and shift and downstep and downdrift. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "downstep" sits close to words such as aaai, aani and aarne, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with downstep
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
It may cause downstep, or it may combine with other tones to form contours. (14 words)
Most Gur languages have been describe following the model of a two tone downstep system. (15 words)
Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, and downstep and downdrift are common in African languages. (17 words)
Most Gur languages to the north of Senufo have a two tone downstep system, but the tonal system of the Senufo languages is mostly analysed as a three level tone system (High, Mid, Low). (34 words)
Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, and downstep and downdrift are common in African languages. (17 words)
Most Gur languages have been describe following the model of a two tone downstep system. (15 words)
Example sentences (4)
It may cause downstep, or it may combine with other tones to form contours.
Most Gur languages have been describe following the model of a two tone downstep system.
Most Gur languages to the north of Senufo have a two tone downstep system, but the tonal system of the Senufo languages is mostly analysed as a three level tone system (High, Mid, Low).
Tonal sandhi processes like tone spread, tone shift, and downstep and downdrift are common in African languages.
Common combinations with downstep
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts: