Perception of Xiapu Min checked syllables and tones in citation and sandhi formsa).

Abstract

This study investigates the acoustic cues for listeners to differentiate checked syllables and tones from unchecked ones. In Xiapu Min, checked and unchecked syllables and tones differ in f0, glottalization, and duration, whereas these differences are reduced in their sandhi forms. In citation forms, listeners utilize all three cues while relying on duration the most. The results indicate that duration is an independent perceptual cue for checked syllables and tones, rather than a peripheral cue resulting from the syllable structure of /CVʔ/. In sandhi forms, where checked and unchecked syllables and tones are phonologically neutralized, the duration and f0 still influence listeners' perception of checked constituents significantly. Data from Xiapu Min, along with other languages, illustrate that cues consistently found in the production of checked syllables and tones are likely to be utilized in their perception.