The development of tone and intonation in Mandarin-speaking children—A pilot study

Abstract

Mandarin is a tone language in which fundamental frequency (F0) is used to contrast lexical meaning and to convey intonation information. When tone and intonation interact, speakers maintain the shape of the F0 contour for word meaning contrasts but manipulate the magnitude of F0 change to meet intonation requirements. This pilot study provided a new perspective on tone acquisition by exploring phonetic characteristics of tone in different intonation contexts by Mandarin children who have acquired phonological contrasts. Three-, five- and eight-year-old monolingual Mandarin-speaking children and adults participated in this pilot study. Production of monosyllabic Tone 2 (rising F0) and Tone 4 (falling F0) words in isolation and in carrier sentences with interrogative (rising) and declarative (falling) intonation were elicited. Magnitude of F0 change, duration and intensity of the target words were acoustically measured and analyzed. Results suggested (1) a physiological basis of phonatory production where Tone 2 and falling intonation were produced more accurately; (2) lexical first strategy in the youngest children who prioritize tone accuracy over intonation accuracy; and (3) usage of developmentally appropriate and controllable acoustic cues first (e.g., Duration).Mandarin is a tone language in which fundamental frequency (F0) is used to contrast lexical meaning and to convey intonation information. When tone and intonation interact, speakers maintain the shape of the F0 contour for word meaning contrasts but manipulate the magnitude of F0 change to meet intonation requirements. This pilot study provided a new perspective on tone acquisition by exploring phonetic characteristics of tone in different intonation contexts by Mandarin children who have acquired phonological contrasts. Three-, five- and eight-year-old monolingual Mandarin-speaking children and adults participated in this pilot study. Production of monosyllabic Tone 2 (rising F0) and Tone 4 (falling F0) words in isolation and in carrier sentences with interrogative (rising) and declarative (falling) intonation were elicited. Magnitude of F0 change, duration and intensity of the target words were acoustically measured and analyzed. Results suggested (1) a physiological basis of phonatory production where ...