Focus and Boundary in Chinese Intonation

Based on the previous studies on Chinese intonation and our own production data, we propose a model of Chinese intonation in which the surface f0 contours of a prosodic phrase (PP) can be modeled by the combined effects of focus stress and boundary tones. The observed patterns are based on the statistical analysis of the data. Experiment results indicate that narrowly focused syllables have a significantly higher f0 peak in Tones 1, 2 and 4, and a lower f0 trough in Tone 3. They are represented as [+RAISEH] and [+LOWERL]. Broad focus does not raise f0 peak, and the pitch range at the end of PPs is expanded. Declarative and interrogative intonation are distinguished intonationally by different boundary tones, which either raise or lower the whole tone of the PP-final syllable. Their features are [+RAISETONE] and [+LOWERTONE]. We conclude that the proposed feature-based model captures the significant pitch events related to focal prominence and boundary tones in Chinese intonation, and that Chinese intonation can be adequately described in the framework of intonational phonology.