This study investigates Chongqing Dialect, a language largely used in Southwest China which is mutually intelligible to Beijing Mandarin speakers. Phonetic variations triggered by focus in Chongqing Dialect, especially in the form of post-focus compression (PFC), are investigated in terms of max F0, mean F0, duration and intensity. A follow-up perception test is also conducted. The production experiment shows that there are no significant changes from no focus condition to focus condition in the factors analysed, and no PFC is observed in Chongqing Dialect. The perception test shows a rather low identification rate at around 40%. The results of this study support the hypothesis that there is a typological divide within the Chinese languages, and the reason is explored by an analysis of the historical roots of Chongqing Dialect. As a representative of Southwest Mandarin, the lack of PFC in Chongqing Dialect suggests that many other Southwest Mandarin dialects also may not have PFC.
Cite as: Qin, Z., Xu, Y. (2020) Lack of Prosodic Focus in Chongqing Dialect and Possible Historical Sources. Proc. Speech Prosody 2020, 630-634, doi: 10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-129
@inproceedings{qin20b_speechprosody,
author={Zixin Qin and Yi Xu},
title={{Lack of Prosodic Focus in Chongqing Dialect and Possible Historical Sources}},
year=2020,
booktitle={Proc. Speech Prosody 2020},
pages={630--634},
doi={10.21437/SpeechProsody.2020-129}
}