英文摘要 |
This study describes the contour shapes and tone values of Taiwanese Hailu Hakka (THH) tones in isolation using acoustic data on the tones of monosyllabic words spoken by two female and two male native speakers. Our results show that THH has (1) three falling tones, /52/, /31/, and /42/, indicating wider pitch ranges and sharper falling slopes compared with the results of previous studies; (2) one mid-rising /35/ tone, with higher on- and offset pitch heights than /13/ and /24/, respectively, values that were reported in previous studies; and (3) three level tones, /33/, /55/, and /55/, similar to the values suggested in previous studies. The /33/ tone lasts much longer than the other tones. This increased duration along with a slightly dipping contour suggests that effort is required even by native speakers to maintain the mid-level pitch contour of the /33/ tone. |