Abstract
ABSTRACT Most of the world’s languages use both segment and lexical tone to distinguish word meanings. However, the few studies on spoken word recognition in tone languages show conflicting results concerning the relative contribution of (sub-)syllabic constituents, and the time course of how segmental and tonal information is utilised. In Experiments 1 & 2, participants listened to monosyllabic Mandarin words with the presence of a phonological competitor, which overlaps in either segmental syllable, onset and tone, rhyme and tone, or just tone. Eye movement results only confirmed the segmental syllable competition effect. Experiment 3 investigated the time course of segmental vs. tonal cue utilisation by manipulating their point of divergence (POD) and found that POD modulates the look trajectories of both segmental and tonal phonological competitors. While listeners can use both segmental and tonal information incrementally to constrain lexical activation, segmental syllable plays an advantageous role in Mandarin spoken word recognition.
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