| Tone Sandhi |
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While certain languages (such as Mandarin in the above example) exhibit a fairly constant set of rules for Tone Sandhi, other forms, such as Hakka , are more complex. Southern Min is still more complex, with the most complex systems found in Wu and Jin . "Tone sandhi", which is compulsory as long as the environmental conditions are met, is not to be confused with tone changes that reflect derivational or Inflectional Morphology . For example, in Cantonese when 糖 is pronounced "tong4", it means 'sugar', whereas when it is pronounced "tong2", it means "candy". In Taiwanese ( Min Nan ) morphemes, ''kiaⁿ'' (afraid) and ''lâng'' (person) may combine to form the word ''kiaⁿ-lâng'', whose meaning varies according to the tone change. When pronounced "kiaⁿ7-lâng", it means "to be afraid of people". When pronounced "kiaⁿ1-lâng", it means "frightful". Cherokee has a robust tonal system in which tones may be combined in various ways, following subtle and complex tonal rules that vary from community to community. Sandhi rules are also found in many of the Oto-Manguean Languages of Mexico. SEE ALSO
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