Attempts to determine (1) the number and nature of perceptual dimensions of tone in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taiwanese listeners; (2) to what extent individual differences in tone perception are influenced by a Chinese listener's language background, and (3) whether differences in perceptual saliency of dimensions across Chinese languages can be…

The concept of Thai soundex system for name search as method of information retrieval is developed and evaluated by extending and modifying Odell and Russell soundex system to fit specific characteristics of Thai language. Thai consonants, letter codes, and evaluation of system in name file of 61,215 records are highlighted. (EJS)

Investigated the ability to discriminate the middle and low tone contrasts in Thai in two groups of native English speakers and a control group of native Thai speakers. The first group were native English speakers who had no prior experience with Thai, the second group were experienced learners of Thai. Variables included experience with Thai,…

Examines whether second language English production is influenced by the consonant-tone interaction occurring in Korean first language production. English pitch contours of the native speakers and Korean speakers were compared for the identification of their differences. (Author/VWL)

Discusses dialectal variation in the lexical tone system of Ma'ya, an Austronesian language featuring three lexically contrastive tonemes. Representative acoustic data were collected from the Missol, Slawati, and Laganyan dialects, and on the basis of these data, an account is given of their tone systems and of how these tone systems compare to…

Reports the results of three experiments that used vowel and tone monitoring tasks to investigate the role of tone information in processing Mandarin. (Author/VWL)

An analysis of the Dinka (Sudan) vowel system consists of: (1) an overview of Dinka phonological structure, including the phonological sentence, the phonological word, the syllable, and the consonantal and vocalic features of the sound system; (2) an examination of breathy versus nonbreathy vowels, including a review of previous research using a…

Presents the phonological system of the Zhangpu dialect and the characteristics that differentiate it from the other Southern Min dialects. Notes that the phonological system of the Zhangpu dialect is close to the Zhangzhou dialect but that the aspirated affricate /+s'-/ in Zhangzhou is the voiceless fricative /s-/in Zhangpu. (SED)

Examined through slips of the tongue how tones are represented and processed when speaking Mandarin Chinese. With regard to sound movement errors, it was found that, although errors of segmental phonemes were fairly common, errors of tones were rare. Suggests that lexical tones in Mandarin Chinese are represented and processed differently from…

Investigates what constitutes effective and ineffective tone management in English-as-a-Foreign-Language classrooms with specific reference to tertiary level context in China. Findings indicate that effective tone management is likely to lead to a more congenial and contingent pattern of classroom interaction, where students become symmetrical…

This study argues that both Shanghai and Taiwanese have a metrical system, that compound stress is left-headed in Shanghai and right-headed in Taiwanese, and that a tonal domain is a metrical one. The article explains some asymmetries between Shanghai and Taiwanese and maintains that metrical structure can be determined when data on phonetic…

Drawing on insights developed in information-based syntactic theories, this paper proposes an alternative processual theory, "articulated methodology," which requires that inflectional operations apply to informationally impoverished representations and increase information. An analysis of Potawatomi verb morphology is given. (20…

Argues that contour tones in East Asian languages behave as melodic units consisting of a root node [upper] dominating a branching specification. It is also argued that, with upper as the tonal root node, no more than two rising or falling tones will contrast underlying. (49 references) (JL)

Describes the phonological acquisition of 129 monolingual Putonghua-speaking children, aged 1.6 to 4.6 years. Children's errors suggested that Putonghua-speaking children master four elements of Putonghua syllables in this order: (1) tones; (2) syllable-initial consonants; (3) vowels; and (4) syllable-final consonants. Suggests that the saliency…

Discusses Tone sandhi, the tone changes undergone by tone-bearing syllables in juxtaposition, in several Chinese dialects. The tone group is examined as a syntatico-semantic unit in Fuzhou and Mandarin and as a syntactic boundary-marker in Shanghai and Xiamen. The theoretical and pedagogical implications are discussed. (20 references) (JL)