Cambridge University Press
9780521603980 - The Sounds of - Chinese - by Yen-Hwei Lin
Frontmatter/Prelims

The Sounds of

Chinese

This accessible textbook provides a clear introduction to the sounds of Standard Chinese, designed for English-speaking students with no prior knowledge of linguistics. It explains from scratch the fundamentals of articulatory phonetics (the study of how speech sounds are produced) and phonology (the study of sound systems), and clearly applies them to the phonetic and phonological properties of Chinese. Topics covered include consonants, vowels, syllable structure, tone, stress, intonation, loanwords, and different varieties of Standard Chinese. Clear comparisons with English sounds are given wherever relevant, along with practical pronunciation advice. All the sounds described are demonstrated by native speakers on the audio CD (included) and over fifty graded exercises are provided, encouraging students to put their knowledge into practice. Building a solid understanding of how Chinese sounds work, this text will be invaluable to students of Chinese wishing to improve their pronunciation, their teachers, and students of Chinese linguistics.

YEN-HWEI LIN is Professor of Linguistics at Michigan State University. She has published widely on Chinese phonology and several other areas of phonology, including syllable structure, feature theory, and segmental phonology. She is editor of Special Issue on Phonetics and Phonology (Language and Linguistics 5.4, 2004) and Proceedings of the Fifteenth North American Conference on Chinese Linguistics (2004), and is currently writing a book on Chinese segmental phonology.

The Sounds of

Chinese

Yen-Hwei Lin

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo

Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK

Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York

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First published 2007

Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge

A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data
Lin, Yen-Hwei.
The Sounds of Chinese / Yen-Hwei Lin.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-521-60398-0 (pbk.)
1. Chinese language–phonetics. 2. Chinese language–phonology. 3. Chinese language–Textbooks for foreign speakers–English. I. Title.
PL1205.L56 2007
495.1′15 – dc22 2007006788

ISBN 978-0-521-60398-0 paperback

Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for
external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee
that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

	List of figures and tables	ix
	Preface	xiii
1	Introduction	1
	1.1 The Chinese language family	1
	1.2 Standard Chinese	2
	1.3 Tone, syllable, morpheme, and word	3
	1.4 Chinese characters, romanization, and pronunciation	5
	1.5 Phonetics and phonology	8
	1.5.1 Phonetics	9
	1.5.2 Phonology	11
	1.5.3 Phonetics versus phonology	14
	1.6 The organization of this book	14
	Exercises	16
2	Consonants	19
	2.1 The production and classification of consonants	19
	2.1.1 The state of the glottis: voiced and voiceless sounds	19
	2.1.2 The vocal organs	22
	2.1.3 Place of articulation	24
	2.1.3.1 Labial: bilabial and labiodental	24
	2.1.3.2 Coronal: dental, alveolar, and post-alveolar	25
	2.1.3.3 Dorsal: velar	29
	2.1.3.4 Labiovelar and palatal	30
	2.1.4 Manner of articulation	31
	2.1.4.1 Stops: oral stops and nasal stops	31
	2.1.4.2 Fricatives	33
	2.1.4.3 Affricates	35
	2.1.4.4 Approximants	36
	2.1.4.5 The lateral [l]	36
	2.1.5 Voice onset time: aspirated and unaspirated consonants	37
	2.1.6 Summary and phonetic description	38
	2.2 Consonants in SC	40
	2.2.1 Stops, nasals, and the lateral	41
	2.2.2 Labiodental and velar fricatives	43
	2.2.3 Dental affricates and fricative	44
	2.2.4 Post-alveolar consonants	45
	2.2.5 Alveolo-palatal consonants	47
	2.2.6 Glides	49
	2.2.7 SC consonant phonemes	49
	2.3 Summary	50
	Exercises	51
3	Vowels and glides	56
	3.1 The production and classification of vowels	56
	3.1.1 Aperture: high, mid, and low vowels	57
	3.1.2 Place of articulation: front, central, and back vowels	58
	3.1.3 Lip position: rounded and unrounded vowels	59
	3.1.4 Tense and lax vowels	60
	3.1.5 Modification of vowels	62
	3.1.6 Summary	63
	3.2 Glides (semi-vowels)	66
	3.3 Diphthongs	67
	3.4 Vowels and glides in SC	70
	3.4.1 High vowels/glides and apical vowels	70
	3.4.2 Mid vowels	73
	3.4.3 Low vowels	77
	3.4.4 Diphthongs	78
	3.4.5 Rhotacized/Retroflexed vowels	80
	3.4.6 SC vowel phonemes	82
	3.5 Summary	82
	Exercises	83
4	Tone	88
	4.1 The phonetic properties and classification of tone	88
	4.1.1 What is tone?	88
	4.1.2 The phonetic properties of tone	90
	4.1.3 The tone bearing unit	91
	4.1.4 The classification and transcription of tone	92
	4.2 Tones in SC	94
	4.2.1 The four phonemic tones	95
	4.2.2 The neutral tone	98
	4.2.3 Tonal variations	100
	4.3 Summary	102
	Exercises	103
5	Syllable structure	106
	5.1 The traditional view of Chinese syllable structure	106
	5.2 Syllable structure and syllabification	108
	5.2.1 Hierarchical syllable structure	108
	5.2.2 Sonority Sequencing Principle	110
	5.2.3 Maximal Onset Principle	111
	5.2.4 Resyllabification and the zero-initial syllable	113
	5.3 Phonotactic constraints and gaps in syllable types	115
	5.4 Summary	120
	Exercises	121
6	Phonetic transcription and *pīnyīn*	123
	6.1 IPA transcription and pīnyīn spelling	123
	6.1.1 Consonants and vowels	124
	6.1.2 Tone	129
	6.2 Pīnyīn spelling conventions	131
	6.3 Summary	134
	Exercises	135
7	Segmental processes I	137
	7.1 Basic concepts	138
	7.1.1 Phonological features and natural classes of sounds	138
	7.1.2 Phonological processes and rules	144
	7.1.2.1 Assimilation	144
	7.1.2.2 Dissimilation	145
	7.1.2.3 Prosodically conditioned processes	145
	7.1.2.4 Phonological rules	146
	7.1.3 Rules and constraints	149
	7.1.4 Phonological rules versus phonetic rules	150
	7.2 Assimilation in SC	150
	7.2.1 Palatalization	151
	7.2.2 Vowel nasalization	153
	7.2.3 Low vowel assimilation	153
	7.2.4 Mid vowel assimilation	155
	7.3 Weakening and reduction in SC	158
	7.3.1 Consonant weakening	158
	7.3.2 Vowel reduction and rime reduction	160
	7.3.3 Vowel devoicing	163
	7.4 Summary	165
	Exercises	166
8	Segmental processes Ⅱ	168
	8.1 Syllable-based processes	168
	8.1.1 Glide formation	168
	8.1.2 Syllabic consonants (apical vowels)	169
	8.1.3 Zero-initial syllables	171
	8.1.4 Mid vowel tensing	174
	8.1.5 Mid vowel insertion and high vowel split	175
	8.1.6 Syllable contraction	180
	8.2 r-suffixation	182
	8.2.1 The use and function of the r suffix	182
	8.2.2 Phonological and phonetic representations of the suffix	184
	8.2.3 Suffixation to syllables with a simple rime	184
	8.2.4 Suffixation to syllables with a complex rime	186
	8.3 Summary	189
	Exercises	190
9	Tonal processes	193
	9.1 Tone features and tonal processes	193
	9.2 Tonal processes for the four phonemic tones	196
	9.2.1 T3 and T4 reduction	196
	9.2.2 Tone 3 sandhi	197
	9.2.3 Tonal change for y and b	198
	9.2.4 Tonal changes in reduplication	199
	9.2.5 Tone 2 sandhi	200
	9.3 The phonetic realizations of the neutral tone	201
	9.4 Tone 3 sandhi in complex words and phrases	204
	9.4.1 Prosodic and morpho-syntactic domains	205
	9.4.2 Examples	209
	9.5 Summary	217
	Exercises	218
10	Stress and intonation	222
	10.1 Stress and tone	222
	10.1.1 What is stress?	222
	10.1.2 Stress in SC and its interaction with tone	224
	10.2 Intonation and tone	227
	10.2.1 What is intonation?	227
	10.2.2 Intonation in SC and its interaction with tone	228
	10.3 Summary	232
	Exercises	233
11	Loanword adaptation	235
	11.1 Loanwords in SC	235
	11.2 Sound adaptation in SC loanwords	239
	11.3 Syllable structure adjustment	240
	11.3.1 Nucleus insertion	241
	11.3.2 Consonant deletion	243
	11.4 Adaptation of consonants	245
	11.4.1 Coronal fricatives/affricates and velars	246
	11.4.2 Oral stops	248
	11.4.3 Liquids	249
	11.4.4 Nasals	251
	11.5 Adaptation of vowels	252
	11.5.1 Front low vowel	253
	11.5.2 Front high and front mid vowels	254
	11.5.3 Back rounded vowels	255
	11.5.4 Glide-vowel sequences	257
	11.5.5 Mid central vowels	258
	11.6 Summary	259
	Exercises	261
12	Variation in SC	263
	12.1 Chinese languages and dialects	263
	12.2 Varieties of SC	265
	12.3 SC in Taiwan	266
	12.3.1 Consonants	267
	12.3.2 Vowels	269
	12.3.3 Tone and stress	271
	12.3.4 Other differences	273
	12.4 Summary	274
	Exercises	275
	Appendices	277
A	The International Phonetic Alphabet	279
B	Tables for SC syllables: pīnyīn spelling and phonetic transcriptions	283
C	Internet resources	293
	Further reading	295
	References	299
	Glossary	302
	Index	312

Figures and tables

	Figures
	2.1 A schema of the states of the glottis.	20
	2.2 The vocal tract and the speech organs (articulators).	23
	2.3 The articulation of labials.	25
	2.4 The articulation of dentals.	29
	2.5 The articulation of alveolars and post-alveolars.	29
	2.6 The articulation of velar stops.	30
	2.7 The articulation of alveolo-palatals.	31
	2.8 The articulation of oral and nasal stops.	32
	2.9 VOT for voiceless unaspirated and aspirated stops.	37
	3.1 The vowel space.	65
	3.2 SC diphthongs in the vowel space.	67
	Tables
	2.1 Chart of English consonants.	40
	2.2 Chart of SC consonants.	41
	2.3 Consonant phonemes in SC.	50
	3.1 Chart of American English vowels.	64
	3.2 Chart of SC vowels.	65
3.3.	Vowel phonemes in SC.	82
I	Syllables without glides: a single segment or a diphthong in the nucleus/rime.	283
II	Syllables without glides: a rhotacized rime or a vowel with a nasal coda in the rime.	286
III	Syllables with the [j] glide.	288
IV	Syllables with the [] glide.	290
V	Syllables with the [w] glide.	291

Preface

This book provides an introduction to Standard Chinese phonetics and phonology, designed for English-speaking students and readers with no prior knowledge of linguistics. The intended readers include students learning Chinese as a foreign language, undergraduate and beginning graduate students majoring in Chinese language and/or Chinese linguistics, Chinese language teachers, and anyone who is interested in learning more about the sounds of Standard Chinese. As a textbook, it can be used for an introductory course in Chinese phonetics and phonology, for the phonetics and phonology parts of a Chinese linguistics or Chinese grammar course, for Chinese language teacher training courses/workshops, or as a supplementary text for a Chinese language course. The book can also serve for independent study or as a reference book for anyone who wants to improve their Standard Chinese pronunciation or to obtain general knowledge of Chinese phonetics and phonology.

After the introductory chapter which provides background information regarding the Chinese language, its linguistic characteristics, its writing system, and phonetics and phonology, the book covers: (i) the phonetics of consonants, vowels, and tone (how they are produced) in chapters 2– 4; (ii) syllable structure (how sequences of sounds are organized) in chapter 5; (iii) the phonological system (how and why a sound changes its pronunciation in what context) in chapters 7– 9; (iv) the interaction of tone with stress and intonation in chapter 10; (v) loanword adaptation (how English sounds are adapted into Chinese sounds) in chapter 11; (vi) dialectal variation in Standard Chinese in chapter 12; and (vii) a comparison between the pīnyīn romanization spelling system and phonetic transcription in chapter 6.

The appendices provide information about the symbols used for phonetic transcription, a set of tables listing all possible Chinese syllables with pīnyīn spelling and corresponding phonetic transcription, and Internet resources. There are also over fifty graded exercises, suggestions for further reading, and a glossary of technical terms. The terms are in small capitals in the text when they first appear and also when they reappear in a different chapter or in appropriate contexts as a reminder. The Sounds of Chinese CD included with this book demonstrates the sounds and examples in the text and some exercises. In the book, a headphone icon is placed before the sets of examples that can be found on the CD.

I have tried to cover both the phonetic and phonological aspects evenly with sufficient details since the practical purpose of improving pronunciation involves learning both how an individual sound is produced (the phonetic aspect) and how and why a sound must or may be pronounced differently in a particular context (the phonological aspect). Needless to say, the comprehensive coverage also makes this volume useful as a textbook and a reference book for Chinese phonetics and phonology. Many phenomena discussed in the book have multiple analyses in the literature. My choice for a particular analysis over others is partly determined by the ease of presenting the idea to readers with no prior linguistics background and partly influenced by personal preference based on my own research. For those who want to know different views from what is presented or to go beyond the basics, I have included suggestions for further reading.

Although it took a little longer than I expected to complete this book, I have thoroughly enjoyed working on the project. I want to thank Helen Barton of Cambridge University Press, who suggested the idea for this book to me and provided helpful suggestions on the draft chapters, an anonymous reader, my production editor Liz Davey of Cambridge University Press, and my copy-editor, Adrian Stenton. I acknowledge the permission to reprint the International Phonetic Alphabet granted by the International Phonetic Association (http://www.arts.gla.ac.uk/IPA/ipa.html), and a Research Enhancement Grant for Visiting Professor granted by City University of Hong Kong from May 6 to June 5 in 2005. I am grateful to Eric Zee and Wai-Sum Lee for their answers to several specific questions I had about Chinese phonetics. Thanks also go to Joseph Jue Wang and Hsiao-ping Wang for recording the sounds and examples for The Sounds of Chinese CD.

Yen-Hwei Lin

The Sounds of

Chinese

The Sounds of

Chinese

Contents

Figures and tables

Preface