TITLE:
A Study of the Neutral Tone in Standard Mandarin
AUTHORS:
Jiahui Shen
KEYWORDS:
Neutral Tone, Standard Mandarin, Distribution, Function
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.9 No.8,
August
23,
2022
ABSTRACT: Chinese is a tone language. Since the concept of neutral tone was put forward, it has received much attention from many linguists. This thesis first briefly reviews the studies of the neutral tone in Standard Mandarin. Meanwhile, the definition and the acoustic features of the neutral tone are introduced. Then, the distribution and functions of the neutral tone in Mandarin are further discussed. It is found that the neutral tone plays a significant role in Standard Mandarin. This research will help language learners and researchers better understand the neutral tone in Standard Mandarin.