Acoustic analysis of nasal and lateral consonants: The merger in Eastern Min

Abstract

The contrast between word-initial [n] and [l] is disappearing in many Chinese languages, including Eastern Min. Before investigating the status of the merger, we need to identify the acoustic cues that distinguish [n] from [l]. In English and Mandarin, languages with the [n] and [l] contrast, we examined: (1) Duration: consonant duration and consonant-vowel transition duration; (2) Formant frequencies: F1, F2 and F3 at the midpoint of the consonant; (3) Formant intensities: I1, I2, and I3 at the midpoint of the consonant; and (4) Relative amplitude (the amplitude difference between the consonant and the following vowel). Preliminary results show that [n] is significantly longer than [l] in Mandarin and English but not in Eastern Min. F2 of [n] is higher than F2 of [l] in English and Mandarin, whereas the direction is reversed in Eastern Min. Finally, the difference in relative amplitude between [n] and [l] is greater in English and Mandarin than in Eastern Min. Together, these results suggest a merger in progress in Eastern Min . Moreover, older Eastern Min speakers showed the merger to a greater degree than younger speakers, presumably because the older speakers use Mandarin less frequently.

Sound change in spontaneous bilingual speech: A corpus study on the Cantonese n-l merger in Cantonese-English bilinguals

“…This merging of /n/ and /l/ is observed in a number of other Chinese languages (e.g., Fuzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan) [7] and while speakers of many of these Chinese languages are also bilingual in Standard Mandarin-which is currently not experiencing a merger between these two consonants-the merger of /n/ and /l/ is arguably particularly interesting in the context of Cantonese. Many Cantonese diaspora communities include individuals who are highly proficient, or even dominant, in English [8].…”

“…Following, [29], we use a mid-frequency spectral tilt measure-H4-2KHz-where nasals were expected to have a greater spectral tilt than laterals. Following [7], we also measured the F2 and F1 spacing (calculated as the difference between F2 and F1) of the initial consonant [30,31], where laterals of the same place of articulation were expected to show greater F2-F1 spacing compared to nasals. The F2-F1 spacing also captures differences in place of articulation, which can be used to evaluate whether bilinguals use the same /n/ and the same /l/ in both languages.…”