Floating Boundary Tone: Production and Perception of Syntactically Unmarked Polar Question in Tianjin Mandarin

Abstract

The present study investigates the intonational tune of syntactically unmarked polar question in Tianjin Mandarin. A production study was conducted to examine the phonological features of the syntactically unmarked polar question (a.k.a intonational yes/no question) tune by comparing against the statement tune. The results show a significant register lift HR and a high floating boundary tone H̥I. The tone shape and tone register played a significant role in how the tunes vary. A tune identification task then further verifies whether the two prosodic features concluded from the production are used in perception. The results showed that both the register difference and the boundary tone made a difference in native speakers' perception in discriminating questions from statements.