1. The purpose of this paper is to present evidence for the existence of phonemic tone in Otomi as spoken in the MAesquital region of Central Mexico. It is hoped that it will stimulate further research on the topic by other scholars. Part of the approach in this article is specifically designed to answer arguments that have been raised by some of the investigators in the field who have been reluctant to recognize Otomi tone as phonemic. The presentation here is of general interest in that it illustrates the application of tonemic procedures to the problems of a specific language. A few of the early linguists recognized the possibility that Otomi might have phonemic tone. Herreral says of Otomi that "una cosa diciendola apriesa o despacio, alto o bajo, tiene diferente significacion." P. Najera2 says in discussing the difficulties of determiinin the nature of some elusive distinctions between words, "como pueden bastar las letras con lo que despues no se saben si eran parte de la voz, o solo el signo musical de ella." At times the writers use the term "tono," but not alone for musical accent; in some