We use model theory and logical interpretations to systematically compare two competing representational theories in phonology, Q-Theory (Shih and Inkelas, 2014, forthcoming) and Autosegmental Phonology (Goldsmith, 1976). We find that, under reasonable assumptions for capturing tone patterns, Q-Theory Representations are equivalent to Autosegmental Representations, in that any constraint that can be written in one theory can be written in another. This contradicts the assertions of Shih and Inkelas, who claim that Q-Theory Representations are different from, and superior to, Autosegmental Representations.
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