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10 - An Individual-Differences Perspective on Variation in Heritage Mandarin Speakers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2024

By
Charles B. Chang  and
Yao Yao
Edited by
Rajiv Rao
Rajiv Rao
Affiliation:
University of Wisconsin, Madison
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Summary

This chapter takes an individual-differences perspective on the dual sound systems of American heritage speakers (HSs) of Mandarin Chinese. Based on detailed socio-demographic data and production data on segmentals and suprasegmentals, we build holistic demographic and phonetic profiles for HSs, as well as native speakers and late learners, to explore how different aspects of their two languages (i.e., Mandarin, English) may develop in relation to each other and how individual variation in production may be related to socio-demographic factors. Using multiple factor analysis (MFA), we describe the range of these profiles, identify clusters of variation defined by different socio-demographic factors, and argue that some factors (e.g., age of arrival, language(s) spoken at home) have more predictive power for phonetic profiles than others. Overall, our results suggest a significant, if limited, link between socio-demographic factors and production, but only in Mandarin. We conclude by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of group-based and individual-centered approaches.

Keywords

American Englishdemographic profilesdialectal backgroundindividual differencesMandarinmultiple factor analysisphonetic profilesUS
Type
Chapter
Information
The Phonetics and Phonology of Heritage Languages , pp. 208 - 236
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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