Post-focus Compression in English-Cantonese Bilingual Speakers
نویسندگان
چکیده
Post-focus compression (PFC), the lowering of fundamental frequency and intensity after focus, is previously found in English but not in Cantonese. This study examines the possible transfer of PFC between these two languages through bilingualism. It is found that out of ten bilingual EnglishCantonese speakers, eight have PFC in their English, but none has PFC in their Cantonese. This finding suggests that PFC is hard to transmit across languages through contact.
منابع مشابه
Interlanguage influence in cues of narrow focus: A study of Hong Kong English
The acoustic properties of narrow focus are language-specific. Post-focus compression of pitch is one of the most prominent factors characterizing focus in English, but it is not present in Cantonese, where duration and intensity are more dominant. Hong Kong English (HKE) is an emerging variety of English in Hong Kong, characterized by speakers who grow up learning English from a young age, but...
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