Abstract
While the initial curvature (Wāntóu in Mandarin), a short curving portion at the onset of a pitch contour in tone languages, has been found inconsequential for distinguishing lexical tones, little is known about the role of this portion in fine-grained tone perception. To
address this issue, the current study examined categorisation in 20 Mandarin and 19 Cantonese speakers using two tone continua (/i/ varying from Tone 1 to Tone 2): one continuum was synthesised based on the level tone with initial curvature; the other was based on the one without it. Participants were required to identify lexical tones. Results of
Mandarin speakers revealed the initial curvature shifted the labelling boundary towards the rising tone, suggesting the initial curvature may affect finegrained tone perception. However, this effect was absent in the Cantonese group, indicating the effect of initial curvature might be subject to the complexity of the tone system and different phonetic composition
address this issue, the current study examined categorisation in 20 Mandarin and 19 Cantonese speakers using two tone continua (/i/ varying from Tone 1 to Tone 2): one continuum was synthesised based on the level tone with initial curvature; the other was based on the one without it. Participants were required to identify lexical tones. Results of
Mandarin speakers revealed the initial curvature shifted the labelling boundary towards the rising tone, suggesting the initial curvature may affect finegrained tone perception. However, this effect was absent in the Cantonese group, indicating the effect of initial curvature might be subject to the complexity of the tone system and different phonetic composition
Original language | English |
---|---|
Title of host publication | Proceedings of the 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS 2023) |
Editors | Radek Skarnitzl, Jan Volín |
Publisher | Guarant International |
Pages | 322-326 |
Edition | 5 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9788090811423 |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2023 |
Event | The 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences - Prague Congress Center, Prague, Czech Republic Duration: 7 Aug 2023 → 11 Aug 2023 |
Congress
Congress | The 20th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences |
---|---|
Country/Territory | Czech Republic |
City | Prague |
Period | 7/08/23 → 11/08/23 |
Keywords
- initial curvature
- fine-grained perception
- lexical tones
- Mandarin and Cantonese