Inconsistent Consonantal Effects on F- in Cantonese and Mandarin

Previous research shows that aspiration and sonorancy can have inconsistent consonantal effects on vowel F0 across languages, and even within the same language in different studies: they are reported to either lower F0, raise F0, or have neutral effects. This paper is interested in such inconsistent consonantal effects on vowel F0 in Cantonese and Mandarin. The results of a series of production experiments show that: (1) consonantal effects on vowel F0 are language-specific; (2) the consonantal effects can be conditioned by lexical tones. The findings also provide insights for puzzles in historical tone change.

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