Strong and Weak Low Tones in Peñoles Mixtec

Mixtec languages have some of the most complex tonal systems in the world and pose a challenge to frameworks for tonal analysis. In this chapter, I argue that analysing floating L tone association in Peñoles Mixtec can be done successfully with Gradient Symbolic Representations. By deriving an independently motivated distinction between weak and strong L tones at the word level, the deletion of floating L in a highly specific context at the phrasal phonology becomes straightforward. Through the same mechanism of gradient representations, a unified explanation is given for the exceptional phonological behaviour of the enclitic /=kwe/. The analysis does not need to rely on complex constraints, multiple grammars, or morpheme-specific phonology.