Modelling Mandarin speakers’ phonotactic knowledge

Phonology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-275
Author(s):  
Shuxiao Gong ◽  
Jie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Formal Modelling ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Lexical Statistics ◽  
Mandarin Speakers ◽  
Phonotactic Learning ◽  
Native Mandarin Chinese Speakers

This paper investigates the nature of native Mandarin Chinese speakers’ phonotactic knowledge via an experimental study and formal modelling of the experimental results. Results from a phonological well-formedness judgement experiment suggest that Mandarin speakers’ phonotactic knowledge is sensitive not only to lexical statistics, but also to grammatical principles such as systematic and accidental phonotactic constraints, allophonic restrictions and segment–tone co-occurrence restrictions. We employ the UCLA Phonotactic Learner to model Mandarin speakers’ phonotactic knowledge, and compare the model's well-formedness predictions with speakers’ judgements. The disparity between the model's predictions and the well-formedness ratings from the experiment indicates that grammatical principles and the lexicon are still not sufficient to explain all of the variations in the speakers’ judgements. We argue that multiple biases, such as naturalness bias, allophony bias and suprasegmental bias, are effective during phonotactic learning.

The influence of Chinese Focused Cleft wh-constructions on Chinese speakers’ L2 knowledge of English wh-movement

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 142-168
Author(s):  
Fuyun Wu
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Mandarin Speakers ◽  
Chinese Learners Of English ◽  
Native Mandarin Chinese Speakers

Previous studies of Mandarin speakers’ intuitions about grammatical and ungrammatical wh-movement constructions in L2 English have produced mixed results. Some studies show that such speakers neither fully accept grammatical wh-constructions, nor fully reject constructions that violate locality constraints. The present study examines the possibility that learners may be transferring the Chinese Focused Cleft wh-construction (FCW) into their English grammars, and that transfer is persistently influential. It is argued that the FCW, which produces structures superficially similar to English wh-movement questions, does not involve movement. Two experimental studies are reported. The first tests native Mandarin Chinese speakers’ intuitions about the FCW in order to provide evidence bearing on lack of movement in the FCW. The second tests the intuitions about grammatical and ungrammatical English wh-movement of advanced L2 learners of English whose L1 was Mandarin. The results support the claim that advanced Chinese learners of English interpret English wh-constructions like Chinese FCWs.

scholarly journals The Effects of Mandarin Chinese Lexical Tones in Sound–Shape and Sound–Size Correspondences

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yen-Han Chang ◽  
Mingxue Zhao ◽  
Yi-Chuan Chen ◽  
Pi-Chun Huang
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Shape Matching ◽  
Crossmodal Correspondences ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Native Mandarin Chinese Speakers

Abstract Crossmodal correspondences refer to when specific domains of features in different sensory modalities are mapped. We investigated how vowels and lexical tones drive sound–shape (rounded or angular) and sound–size (large or small) mappings among native Mandarin Chinese speakers. We used three vowels (/i/, /u/, and /a/), and each vowel was articulated in four lexical tones. In the sound–shape matching, the tendency to match the rounded shape was decreased in the following order: /u/, /i/, and /a/. Tone 2 was more likely to be matched to the rounded pattern, whereas Tone 4 was more likely to be matched to the angular pattern. In the sound–size matching, /a/ was matched to the larger object more than /u/ and /i/, and Tone 2 and Tone 4 correspond to the large–small contrast. The results demonstrated that both vowels and tones play prominent roles in crossmodal correspondences, and sound–shape and sound–size mappings are heterogeneous phenomena.

Variation in loanword adaptation: A case from Mandarin Chinese

2020 ◽  
pp. 026765832096144
Author(s):  
Yangyu Chen ◽  
Yu-An Lu
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Forced Choice ◽  
Vowel Duration ◽  
Perceptual Similarity ◽  
Loanword Adaptation ◽  
Chinese Speakers ◽  
Adaptation Pattern ◽  
Syllable Duration ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Mandarin Speakers

Mandarin speakers tend to adapt intervocalic nasals as either an onset of the following syllable (e.g. Bruno → bù.lŭ .n uò), as a nasal geminate (e.g. Daniel → dā n.n í.ěr), or as one of the above forms (e.g. Tiffany → dì.fú. n í or dì.fē n.n í). Huang and Lin (2013, 2016) identified two factors that may induce the nasal gemination repair: (1) when stress falls on the pre-nasal vowel and (2) when the pre-nasal vowel is a non-high lax vowel. They hypothesized that Mandarin Chinese speakers insert a nasal coda to perceptually approximate the stronger nasalization and longer syllable duration associated with the stressed syllables, and the shorter vowel duration of a lax vowel because the vowels in closed syllables are shorter in Mandarin. The results from two forced-choice identification experiments and an open-ended transcription task showed that although Mandarin speakers’ choices of different repairs were indeed biased by the different phonetic manipulations, suggesting an effect of perceptual similarity, their decisions were mainly guided by native phonotactics. The overall findings suggest that phonotactic, phonetic, as well as non-linguistic (i.e. frequency) factors interact with each other, resulting in the variable adaptation pattern.

scholarly journals Gradient Acceptability in Mandarin Nonword Judgment

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuxiao Gong ◽  
Jie Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mandarin Chinese ◽  
Lexical Statistics ◽  
Mandarin Speakers ◽  
Gradient Phonotactics ◽  
Acceptability Judgment ◽  
Novel Words

Syllable well-formedness judgment experiments reveal that speakers exhibit gradient judgment on novel words, and the gradience has been attributed to both grammatical factors and lexical statistics (e.g., Coetzee, 2008). This study investigates gradient phonotactics stemming from the violations of four types of grammatical constraints in Mandarin Chinese: 1) principled phonotactic constraints, 2) accidental phonotactic constraints, 3) allophonic restrictions, and 4) segmental-tonal cooccurrence restrictions. A syllable well-formedness judgment experiment was conducted with native Mandarin speakers to examine how the grammatical and lexical statistics factors contribute to the variation in phonotactic acceptability judgment.

scholarly journals Experimental study of the $ \gamma p \rightarrow K^{0}\Sigma^{+}$, $ \gamma n \rightarrow K^{0} \Lambda$, and $ \gamma n \rightarrow K^{0} \Sigma^{0}$ reactions at the Mainz Microtron

2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. S. Akondi ◽  
K. Bantawa ◽  
D. M. Manley ◽  
S. Abt ◽  
P. Achenbach ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
Differential Cross ◽  
Legendre Polynomials ◽  
Neutral Kaon ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Differential Cross Sections ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Photoproduction Reactions ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract.This work measured $ \mathrm{d}\sigma/\mathrm{d}\Omega$dσ/dΩ for neutral kaon photoproduction reactions from threshold up to a c.m. energy of 1855MeV, focussing specifically on the $ \gamma p\rightarrow K^0\Sigma^+$γp→K0Σ+, $ \gamma n\rightarrow K^0\Lambda$γn→K0Λ, and $ \gamma n\rightarrow K^0 \Sigma^0$γn→K0Σ0 reactions. Our results for $ \gamma n\rightarrow K^0 \Sigma^0$γn→K0Σ0 are the first-ever measurements for that reaction. These data will provide insight into the properties of $ N^{\ast}$N* resonances and, in particular, will lead to an improved knowledge about those states that couple only weakly to the $ \pi N$πN channel. Integrated cross sections were extracted by fitting the differential cross sections for each reaction as a series of Legendre polynomials and our results are compared with prior experimental results and theoretical predictions.

scholarly journals Numerical and experimental study of the dynamic factor of the dynamic load on the urban railway

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-202
Author(s):  
Tran Anh Dung ◽  
Mai Van Tham ◽  
Do Xuan Quy ◽  
Tran The Truyen ◽  
Pham Van Ky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Dynamic Load ◽  
Dynamic Measurement ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Load Factor ◽  
Dynamic Factor ◽  
Experimental Measurements ◽  
Train Speed ◽  
Dynamic Load Factor

AbstractThis paper presents simulation calculations and experimental measurements to determine the dynamic load factor (DLF) of train on the urban railway in Vietnam. Simulation calculations are performed by SIMPACK software. Dynamic measurement experiments were conducted on Cat Linh – Ha Dong line. The simulation and experimental results provide the DLF values with the largest difference of 2.46% when the train speed varies from 0 km/h to 80 km/h

Experimental Study of a Tanker Ship Squat in Shallow Water

2014 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Fathi Kazerooni ◽  
Mohammad Saeed Seif
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Model Tests ◽  
Ship Hull ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Shallow Waters ◽  
Towing Tank ◽  
Ship Model

One of the phenomena restricting the tanker navigation in shallow waters is reduction of under keel clearance in the terms of sinkage and dynamic trim that is called squatting. According to the complexity of flow around ship hull, one of the best methods to predict the ship squat is experimental approach based on model tests in the towing tank. In this study model tests for tanker ship model had been held in the towing tank and squat of the model are measured and analyzed. Based on experimental results suitable formulae for prediction of these types of ship squat in fairways are obtained.

Experimental Study on the Optimal Thickness of Infiltration Media of the CRI System

2011 ◽  
Vol 415-417 ◽  
pp. 1703-1707
Author(s):  
Jun Min Chen ◽  
Xiao Lin Yao
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Removal Efficiency ◽  
Significant Influence ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Artificial Soil ◽  
Optimal Thickness ◽  
Effluent Quality ◽  
Anaerobic Zone

Abstract. In order to investigate the optimal thickness of infiltration media in the Constructed Rapid Infiltration System, the artificial soil column is used to simulate the Constructed Rapid Infiltration System, and the CODCr, NH3-N and TN concentrations of the effluent from all the sampling sites are monitored. The experimental results and analysis show that the thickness of infiltration media exerts a significant influence on the CODCr, NH3-N and TN concentration and removal efficiency of the effluent; the CODCr, NH3-N and TN are mainly removed in the 0-1800mm zone of the artificial soil column; the total CODCr removal efficiency increases, as the thickness of infiltration media increases, but the CODCr removal efficiency in the 1800-2200mm zone is very low; the NH3-N and TN removal efficiency reaches the maximum where the thickness of infiltration media is 1800mm; the NH3-N and TN concentration of the effluent from 1800-2200mm zone dose not decrease, but increase 5-8%, due to the assimilation denitrification and amemoniation reaction on the end of the anaerobic zone; in consideration of the effluent quality, efficient biodegradation zone, construction investment, etc. the optimal thickness of infiltration media in CRI system should be 1800mm.

scholarly journals Experimental study of water droplet break up in water in oil dispersions using an apparatus that produces localized pressure drops

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabricio S. Silva ◽  
Ricardo A. Medronho ◽  
Luiz Fernando Barca
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Droplet Size Distribution ◽  
Energy Dissipation Rate ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Good Prediction ◽  
Pressure Drops ◽  
Turbulence Suppression ◽  
Kolmogorov Length Scale ◽  
Control Production ◽  
Break Up

Oil production facilities have choke/control valves to control production and protect downstream equipment against over pressurization. This process is responsible for droplets break up and the formation of emulsions which are difficult to treat. An experimental study of water in oil dispersion droplets break up in localized pressure drop is presented. To accomplish that, an apparatus simulating a gate valve was constructed. Droplet Size Distribution (DSD) was measured by laser light scattering. Oil physical properties were controlled and three different break up models were compared with the experimental results. All experimental maximum diameters (dmax) were above Kolmogorov length scale. The results show that dmax decreases with increase of energy dissipation rate (ε) according to the relation dmax ∝ ε−0.42. The Hinze (1955, AIChE J.1, 3, 289–295) model failed to predict the experimental results, although, it was able to adjust reasonably well those points when the original proportional constant was changed. It was observed that increasing the dispersed phase concentration increases dmax due to turbulence suppression and/or coalescence phenomenon. Turbulent viscous break up model gave fairly good prediction.

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