Abstract
This paper attempts to illustrate the interaction of sentence-final particles and intonation in Hong Kong Cantonese using acoustic phonetic analysis. The system of sentence-final particles is very rich in Cantonese, and these particles serve similar functions as intonation in intonation languages. How intonation and sentence-final particles work in the language, and how the pitch levels and contours on the sentence-final particles compare to the lexical tones in the language are discussed.
Highlights
Cantonese, like other Chinese dialects, is a tonal language in which each syllable is associated with a lexical tone
The general observation from the above pitch tracings is that the intonation patterns of the statement and the intonation question are similar except the final syllable, which is the test syllable
A rising intonation on the final syllable is observed, and the rise in pitch is very high, with the final pitch reaching to a level much higher than the pitch for Tone 1
Summary
Like other Chinese dialects, is a tonal language in which each syllable is associated with a lexical tone. Variations of pitch are used as intonation in the language to convey meanings related to speaker attitudes and emotions and grammar, like the case in an intonation language such as English. The interaction of tone and intonation in a Chinese language is interesting from the phonetic point of view as both are manifestations of pitch, and it has long attracted linguists’ attention (e.g., Chao 1933). Cantonese has a class of words called sentence-final particles, mostly one syllable long, which serve the functions of intonation, conveying the speaker’s attitude and emotions, and expressing the moods of sentences (Luke 1990). The relationship between tone and intonation in this word class is worth studying
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