Physiological constraints explain order of Mandarin tone acquisition in 3‐year‐old children

Abstract

Careful analyzes of childrens’ lexical tones revealed a more protracted developmental course than previously described. This study examined reasons for that late acquisition by performing acoustic analyzes on 289 monosyllabic Mandarin tones that were produced by 13 children and 4 adults and, subsequently, judged by 10 native listeners. Eight acoustic parameters that yielded strong correlations with the judges categorization of the tones were compared among adult correct productions, child correct productions, and child incorrect productions. Results revealed that childrens’ tone 1 (T1, high level) errors involved reduced f0 height and inability to sustain a level f0. Childrens’ tone 2 (T2, rising) errors reached minimum f0 later in the syllable and had either reduced rising or falling f0 slopes. Childrens’ tone 3 (T3, dipping) errors involved reduced syllable length, failing to reach a low f0, and having a much higher mean f0. Childrens’ incorrect tone 4 (T4, falling) productions had reduced negative f0 slopes. Even childrens’ correctly identified T1, T2, and T3 productions were not adultlike. The order of the four tones from the most to the least adultlike was T4, T2, T1, and T3, corresponding to the order of ease of speech motor control for the production of the tones.