Tões

Tões, also known as "tone" or "tone language," is a term used in linguistics to describe a language that uses changes in pitch, volume, and duration to convey meaning. These changes in tone can alter the meaning of a word or phrase, making tone languages distinct from stress-timed languages, which rely on stress patterns for meaning. Tone languages are particularly prevalent in Africa, Southeast Asia, and parts of China. In these languages, words can have different meanings based on the tone in which they are spoken. For example, in Mandarin Chinese, the word "ma" can mean "mother," "horse," or "scold" depending on the tone used. The study of tones in language is a specialized field within linguistics, focusing on how these tonal variations are produced, perceived, and used to convey information. Tone languages require speakers to be highly attuned to the nuances of pitch and rhythm, and learning to speak one involves mastering these tonal distinctions.