Effect of intonation on Cantonese lexical tones

Abstract

In tonal languages, there are potential conflicts between the F0-based changes due to the coexistence of intonation and lexical tones. In the present study, the interaction of tone and intonation in Cantonese was examined using acoustic and perceptual analyses. The acoustic patterns of tones at the initial, medial, and final positions of questions and statements were measured. Results showed that intonation affects both the F0 level and contour, while the duration of the six tones varied as a function of positions within intonation contexts. All six tones at the final position of questions showed rising F0 contour, regardless of their canonical form. Listeners were overall more accurate in the identification of tones presented within the original carrier than of the same tones in isolation. However, a large proportion of tones 33, 21, 23, and 22 at the final position of questions were misperceived as tone 25 both within the original carrier and as isolated words. These results suggest that although the intonation context provided cues for correct tone identification, the intonation-induced changes in F0 contour cannot always be perceptually compensated for, resulting in some erroneous perception of the identity of Cantonese tone.

Studies of Chinese Speakers with Dysarthria: Informing Theoretical Models

“…The PD speakers contrasted tones similarly to control speakers in varying contexts. However, lower F 0 values were found for tones at the final positions of questions, in contrast to the rising tones found in normal speakers [28] . That is, intonation had a smaller influence on the production of lexical tones by PD speakers than for control speakers.…”

“…The relationship between tone and intonation in nonimpaired Cantonese speakers has been investigated, using both perceptual and acoustic analyses [28] . More recently, this relationship was systematically investigated in Cantonese speakers with PD, using acoustic analysis [29] .…”

Pitch ranking of complex tones by normally hearing subjects and cochlear implant users

“…As well as being significant in a musical context, voice pitch can convey information to listeners about such characteristics as the sex, age, and emotional state of the speaker. Furthermore, voice pitch carries semantic information in Cantonese and in other tonal languages (e.g., Ma et al, 2006). In the context of music, the voice is a highly accessible ''instrument'', particularly for those with little formal musical training.…”

Online processing of tone and intonation in Mandarin: Evidence from ERPs

“…Low tones (21,23,22) (tone values in 5-point scale notation, each tone is described by the initial and the end point of the pitch level) were misperceived as the mid-rising tone (25) at the final positions of questions (Fok-Chan, 1974;Kung et al, 2014;Ma et al, 2011). This is probably because with a rising tail superimposed on all tone contours by question intonation (Ma et al, 2006), the F0 contour of the low tones in questions resembles that of a mid-rising tone in questions. As for the effect of tone on intonation perception, native listeners were least accurate of all the six tones in Cantonese in distinguishing statements and questions for sentences ending with Tone 25 (Ma et al, 2011), suggesting that listeners confused the rising contour of Tone 25 with the final rise of question intonation.…”