Encoding category-level and context-specific phonological information at different stages: An EEG study of Mandarin third-tone sandhi word production

Neuropsychologia, vol. 175, pp. 108367

Abstract

Pronunciation of words or morphemes may vary systematically in different phonological contexts, but it remains unclear how different levels of phonological information are encoded in speech production. In this study, we investigated the online planning process of Mandarin Tone 3 (T3) sandhi, a case of phonological alternation whereby a low-dipping tone (T3) changes to a Tone 2 (T2)-like rising tone when followed by another T3. To examine the time course of the encoding of the abstract category-level (underlying form) and context-specific phonological form (surface form) of T3, we conducted an electroencephalographic (EEG) study with a phonologically-primed picture naming task and examined the event-related potentials (ERPs) time-locked to the stimulus onset as well as speech response onset. The behavioral results showed that targets primed by T3 or T2 primes yielded shorter naming latencies than those primed by control primes. Importantly, the EEG data revealed that T3 primes elicited larger positive amplitude over broad frontocentral regions roughly in the 320-550 ms time window of stimulus-locked ERP and -500 to -400 ms time window of response-locked ERP, whereas T2 primes elicited larger negative amplitude over left frontocentral regions roughly in the -240 to -100 ms time window of response-locked ERP. These results indicate that the underlying and the surface form are encoded at different processing stages. The former presumably occurs in the earlier phonological encoding stage, while the latter probably occurs in the later phonetic encoding or motor preparation stage. The current study offers important implications for understanding the processing of phonological alternations and tonal encoding in Chinese word production.

Authors 6

1. Xiaocong Chen corresponding

   Hong Kong Polytechnic University

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: felcshallot@gmail.com

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

2. Caicai Zhang corresponding

   Hong Kong Polytechnic University

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: caicai.zhang@polyu.edu.hk

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

3. Yiya Chen Aachen

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Leiden University Center for Linguistics and Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Netherlands

4. Stephen Politzer‐Ahles

   Hong Kong Polytechnic University · University of Kansas

   Affiliation as printed

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, USA

   Department of Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, USA

   Research Centre for Language, Cognition, and Neuroscience, Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

5. Yuyu Zeng

   University of Wisconsin–Madison · University of Kansas

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, USA; Speech Motor Neuroscience Group, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

   Department of Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, USA

   Speech Motor Neuroscience Group, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

6. Jie Zhang

   University of Kansas

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Linguistics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Kansas, USA