scholarly journals Intonation Systems Across Varieties of English

2020 ◽  
pp. 284-302
Author(s):  
Martine Grice ◽  
James Sneed German ◽  
Paul Warren
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Stress ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Spectral Quality ◽  
Contact Effects

This chapter focuses on the structure and systematicity underlying the expression of intonation in varieties of English. Phonologically, this involves tones and clusters of tones with associations to heads and edges of prosodic domains, functionally highlighting and delimiting units within these domains. Phonetically, it involves pitch and its acoustic correlate, in addition to other phonetic parameters that contribute towards structuring speech, such as duration and spectral quality. Both mainstream and non-mainstream varieties are considered, the latter often showing contact effects determining the presence or absence of lexical tone and lexical stress, as well as post-lexical structures that do not fit neatly into Jun’s (2006) head/edge-prominence dichotomy. The survey shows that an account of the intonation of ‘Englishes’ has to cover a broad range of typological phenomena and be flexible enough to capture properties of emerging varieties, some of which will be briefly discussed.

scholarly journals A Tale of Two Features: Perception of Cantonese Lexical Tone and English Lexical Stress in Cantonese-English Bilinguals

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e0142896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiuli Tong ◽  
Stephen Man Kit Lee ◽  
Meg Mei Ling Lee ◽  
Denis Burnham
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Stress ◽  
Lexical Tone

From Cantonese Lexical Tone Awareness to Second Language English Vocabulary: Cross-Language Mediation by Segmental Phonological Awareness

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (6) ◽  
pp. 1875-1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Choi ◽  
Xiuli Tong ◽  
Helene Deacon
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Stress Sensitivity ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Lexical Stress ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Expressive Vocabulary ◽  
English Bilingual ◽  
Hong Kong Cantonese

Purpose Cantonese lexical tone awareness is closely associated with 1st language Cantonese vocabulary knowledge, but its role in 2nd language English vocabulary knowledge was unclear. We addressed this issue by investigating whether and, if so, how Cantonese lexical tone awareness contributes to English expressive vocabulary knowledge in Hong Kong Cantonese–English bilingual children. Method A sample of 112 Hong Kong Cantonese–English bilingual 2nd graders were tested on Cantonese lexical tone awareness, English lexical stress sensitivity, Cantonese– English segmental phonological awareness, and both Cantonese and English expressive vocabulary knowledge. Results Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that Cantonese lexical tone awareness contributed indirectly to English expressive vocabulary knowledge through English lexical stress sensitivity and Cantonese–English segmental phonological awareness. Conclusion These results demonstrate the role of Cantonese lexical tone awareness in Cantonese–English bilingual children's English vocabulary knowledge. This also underscores the importance of 1st language suprasegmental phonological awareness in 2nd language expressive vocabulary knowledge.

Effects of Fundamental Frequency Contours on Sentence Recognition in Mandarin-Speaking Children With Cochlear Implants

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 3855-3864
Author(s):  
Wanting Huang ◽  
Lena L. N. Wong ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Haihong Liu ◽  
Wei Liang
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implants ◽  
Fundamental Frequency ◽  
Signal To Noise Ratio ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Signal To Noise ◽  
Sentence Recognition ◽  
Test Conditions ◽  
Age Appropriate ◽  
F0 Contour ◽  
Appropriate Sentences

Purpose Fundamental frequency (F0) is the primary acoustic cue for lexical tone perception in tonal languages but is processed in a limited way in cochlear implant (CI) systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the importance of F0 contours in sentence recognition in Mandarin-speaking children with CIs and find out whether it is similar to/different from that in age-matched normal-hearing (NH) peers. Method Age-appropriate sentences, with F0 contours manipulated to be either natural or flattened, were randomly presented to preschool children with CIs and their age-matched peers with NH under three test conditions: in quiet, in white noise, and with competing sentences at 0 dB signal-to-noise ratio. Results The neutralization of F0 contours resulted in a significant reduction in sentence recognition. While this was seen only in noise conditions among NH children, it was observed throughout all test conditions among children with CIs. Moreover, the F0 contour-induced accuracy reduction ratios (i.e., the reduction in sentence recognition resulting from the neutralization of F0 contours compared to the normal F0 condition) were significantly greater in children with CIs than in NH children in all test conditions. Conclusions F0 contours play a major role in sentence recognition in both quiet and noise among pediatric implantees, and the contribution of the F0 contour is even more salient than that in age-matched NH children. These results also suggest that there may be differences between children with CIs and NH children in how F0 contours are processed.

On the Relationship Between General Auditory Sensitivity and Speech Perception: An Examination of Pitch and Lexical Tone Perception in 4- to 6-Year-Old Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-498
Author(s):  
Puisan Wong ◽  
Man Wai Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Speech Perception ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Auditory Sensitivity ◽  
Pitch Discrimination ◽  
Lexical Tone ◽  
Perceptual Training ◽  
Lexical Tones ◽  
Tone Perception ◽  
Tone Discrimination

Purpose Theoretical models and substantial research have proposed that general auditory sensitivity is a developmental foundation for speech perception and language acquisition. Nonetheless, controversies exist about the effectiveness of general auditory training in improving speech and language skills. This research investigated the relationships among general auditory sensitivity, phonemic speech perception, and word-level speech perception via the examination of pitch and lexical tone perception in children. Method Forty-eight typically developing 4- to 6-year-old Cantonese-speaking children were tested on the discrimination of the pitch patterns of lexical tones in synthetic stimuli, discrimination of naturally produced lexical tones, and identification of lexical tone in familiar words. Results The findings revealed that accurate lexical tone discrimination and identification did not necessarily entail the accurate discrimination of nonlinguistic stimuli that followed the pitch levels and pitch shapes of lexical tones. Although pitch discrimination and tone discrimination abilities were strongly correlated, accuracy in pitch discrimination was lower than that in tone discrimination, and nonspeech pitch discrimination ability did not precede linguistic tone discrimination in the developmental trajectory. Conclusions Contradicting the theoretical models, the findings of this study suggest that general auditory sensitivity and speech perception may not be causally or hierarchically related. The finding that accuracy in pitch discrimination is lower than that in tone discrimination suggests that comparable nonlinguistic auditory perceptual ability may not be necessary for accurate speech perception and language learning. The results cast doubt on the use of nonlinguistic auditory perceptual training to improve children's speech, language, and literacy abilities.

Lexical Stress Effects in Silent Reading

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mara E. Breen ◽  
Charles E. Clifton
Keyword(s):  
Silent Reading ◽  
Lexical Stress ◽  
Stress Effects
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