The tonal system of Hengyang Xiang

Abstract

Hengyang belongs to the Hengzhou branch of Xiang Chinese; it contrasts six tones: high rising (45), falling-rising (213), low-rising (24), low level (11), mid level (33), and low-mid (22). Liu (2010) found that the falling-rising (213) and the low-rising (24) tones have merged to become a distinct low-dipping tone (214), as in Mandarin. This merger is attributed to language contact and influence from Mandarin, because it is mostly observed in frequent words and has a stronger tendency among younger populations (Liu, 2010). However, it is unclear whether this tone merger is complete, because previous reports conflict as to the number of tones in the tonal system of Hengyang (Zhong, 2011; Li, 1986; Huang, 2013). This study investigates the tonal system in Hengyang using acoustic analyses to capture the tonal differences in pitch and voice quality characteristics including spectral tilt and periodicity measures. We recorded ten participants reading monosyllabic words. The participants were from four age groups ranging from 21 to 60 years old (21–30, 31–40, 41–50, and 51–60 years old). We hypothesize that the tone merger occurs more often in frequently used words and for younger speakers. The findings will depict the acoustic spaces of Hengyang tones and show whether the merged tonal patterns are associated with particular words and/or age groups. The discussion will emphasize how language contact gives rise to tonal neutralization and sound change.