Processing dependencies between segmental and suprasegmental features in Mandarin Chinese

The aim of this study was to examine processing interactions between segmental (consonant, vowel) and suprasegmental (tone) dimensions of Mandarin Chinese. Using a speeded classification paradigm, processing interactions were examined between each pair of dimensions. Listeners were asked to attend to one dimension while ignoring the variation along another. Asymmetric interference effects were observed between segmental and suprasegmental dimensions, with segmental dimensions interfering more with tone classification than the reverse. Among the three dimensions, vowels exerted greater interference on consonants and tones than vice versa. Comparisons between each pair of dimensions revealed greater integrality between tone and vowel than between tone and consonant. Findings suggest that the direction and degree of interference between segmental and suprasegmental dimensions in spoken word recognition reflect differences in acoustic properties as well as other factors of an informational nature. Acknowledgements Contract grant sponsor: National Institutes of Health; Contract grant number: R01 DC04584-05 (JG). Thanks to four anonymous reviewers and the Associate Editor for their insightful comments and suggestions on earlier versions of the manuscript and Yisheng Xu for his assistance with statistical analysis.