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Variation and merger of the rising tones in Hong Kong Cantonese

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 November 2003

Robert S. Bauer ,
Cheung Kwan-hin  and
Cheung Pak-man
Robert S. Bauer
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Cheung Kwan-hin
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Cheung Pak-man
Affiliation:
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
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Abstract

Two male speakers of Hong Kong Cantonese varied the endpoints of High Rising and Mid-Low Rising tones and merged them in both directions under experimental conditions. The variation and merger of the two rising tones raise the possibility that at least four tonal subsystems may coexist within the Hong Kong Cantonese speech community. Sociolinguistic research over the past 20 years has documented variation and change among Cantonese sound segments but not the tones. Tonal variation in Hong Kong Cantonese appears to be a potentially important sociolinguistic variable.This article is a revised version of a paper presented at the 33rd International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics in Trang, Thailand, on October 5, 2000. The research reported here was supported by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project No. PolyU 5249/99H Linguistics) and by Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Grant G-YB57.

Type
Research Article
Information
Language Variation and Change , Volume 15 , Issue 2 , July 2003 , pp. 211 - 225
Copyright
© 2003 Cambridge University Press

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