Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese

Julie Siying Chen; Stephen Politzer-Ahles

doi:10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027

Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese

Julie Siying Chen
, Stephen Politzer-Ahles

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceeding › Conference article published in proceeding or book › Academic research › peer-review

Abstract

Lexical access in spoken language recognition is commonly seen as activating multiple lexical candidates based on phonetic similarity as the speech signal unfolds. How different types of phonemes contribute to lexical access has been a question for quite some time. In Mandarin Chinese, a language with lexical tone, research has been sparse on the different levels of lexical contribution of tones and segments.The present study uses a novel binary lexical selection task to test whether or not tones are more lexically binding than three categories of segments: onsets, vowels, and codas. Our results showed that tones are more susceptible to change compared to onsets and vowels, but more stable when compared to codas. These results are in line with the respective size of these categories in the Chinese phoneme inventory. Thus, we believe that tones are not processed in a qualitatively different way from segments, but that all categories are subject to the same restraints.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022
Editors	Kong Aik Lee, Hung-yi Lee, Yanfeng Lu, Minghui Dong
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Pages	424-427
Number of pages	4
ISBN (Electronic)	9798350397963
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027
Publication status	Published - 8 Dec 2023
Event	13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022 - Singapore, Singapore Duration: 11 Dec 2022 → 14 Dec 2022

Publication series

Name	2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022

Conference

Conference	13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022
Country/Territory	Singapore
City	Singapore
Period	11/12/22 → 14/12/22

Keywords

lexical access
lexical selection
lexical tone
Mandarin Chinese
segments and suprasegmentals
speech perception

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Education
Linguistics and Language
Language and Linguistics
Signal Processing

More information

10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027

Cite this

Chen, J. S., & Politzer-Ahles, S. (2023). Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese. In K. A. Lee, H. Lee, Y. Lu, & M. Dong (Eds.), 2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022 (pp. 424-427). (2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027

Chen, Julie Siying ; Politzer-Ahles, Stephen. / Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese. 2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022. editor / Kong Aik Lee ; Hung-yi Lee ; Yanfeng Lu ; Minghui Dong. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2023. pp. 424-427 (2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022).

@inproceedings{8e2267e999134471947c23d9e7f37f9e,

title = "Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese",

abstract = "Lexical access in spoken language recognition is commonly seen as activating multiple lexical candidates based on phonetic similarity as the speech signal unfolds. How different types of phonemes contribute to lexical access has been a question for quite some time. In Mandarin Chinese, a language with lexical tone, research has been sparse on the different levels of lexical contribution of tones and segments.The present study uses a novel binary lexical selection task to test whether or not tones are more lexically binding than three categories of segments: onsets, vowels, and codas. Our results showed that tones are more susceptible to change compared to onsets and vowels, but more stable when compared to codas. These results are in line with the respective size of these categories in the Chinese phoneme inventory. Thus, we believe that tones are not processed in a qualitatively different way from segments, but that all categories are subject to the same restraints.",

keywords = "lexical access, lexical selection, lexical tone, Mandarin Chinese, segments and suprasegmentals, speech perception",

author = "Chen, \{Julie Siying\} and Stephen Politzer-Ahles",

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year = "2023",

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day = "8",

doi = "10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027",

language = "English",

series = "2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022",

publisher = "Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.",

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Chen, JS & Politzer-Ahles, S 2023, Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese. in KA Lee, H Lee, Y Lu & M Dong (eds), 2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022. 2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., pp. 424-427, 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022, Singapore, Singapore, 11/12/22. https://doi.org/10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027

Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese. / Chen, Julie Siying; Politzer-Ahles, Stephen.
2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022. ed. / Kong Aik Lee; Hung-yi Lee; Yanfeng Lu; Minghui Dong. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 2023. p. 424-427 (2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022).

Research output: Chapter in book / Conference proceeding › Conference article published in proceeding or book › Academic research › peer-review

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T1 - Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese

AU - Chen, Julie Siying

AU - Politzer-Ahles, Stephen

PY - 2023/12/8

Y1 - 2023/12/8

N2 - Lexical access in spoken language recognition is commonly seen as activating multiple lexical candidates based on phonetic similarity as the speech signal unfolds. How different types of phonemes contribute to lexical access has been a question for quite some time. In Mandarin Chinese, a language with lexical tone, research has been sparse on the different levels of lexical contribution of tones and segments.The present study uses a novel binary lexical selection task to test whether or not tones are more lexically binding than three categories of segments: onsets, vowels, and codas. Our results showed that tones are more susceptible to change compared to onsets and vowels, but more stable when compared to codas. These results are in line with the respective size of these categories in the Chinese phoneme inventory. Thus, we believe that tones are not processed in a qualitatively different way from segments, but that all categories are subject to the same restraints.

AB - Lexical access in spoken language recognition is commonly seen as activating multiple lexical candidates based on phonetic similarity as the speech signal unfolds. How different types of phonemes contribute to lexical access has been a question for quite some time. In Mandarin Chinese, a language with lexical tone, research has been sparse on the different levels of lexical contribution of tones and segments.The present study uses a novel binary lexical selection task to test whether or not tones are more lexically binding than three categories of segments: onsets, vowels, and codas. Our results showed that tones are more susceptible to change compared to onsets and vowels, but more stable when compared to codas. These results are in line with the respective size of these categories in the Chinese phoneme inventory. Thus, we believe that tones are not processed in a qualitatively different way from segments, but that all categories are subject to the same restraints.

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KW - lexical tone

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KW - segments and suprasegmentals

KW - speech perception

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PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

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Y2 - 11 December 2022 through 14 December 2022

ER -

Chen JS, Politzer-Ahles S. Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese. In Lee KA, Lee H, Lu Y, Dong M, editors, 2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. 2023. p. 424-427. (2022 13th International Symposium on Chinese Spoken Language Processing, ISCSLP 2022). doi: 10.1109/ISCSLP57327.2022.10038027

Acceptance of tonal and segmental variability correlates to inventory size in Mandarin Chinese

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