Syntax-Phonology Interaction in Chinese Tone Sandhi: An Overview

Abstract

A characterization of the syntactico-semantic conditions of tone sandhi (TS), the tone changes undergone by tone-bearing syllables in juxtaposition within various Chinese dialects. The syntactic environments in which TS rules apply are described with regard to four dialects: Fuzhou, Mandarin, Shanghai, & Xiamen. Two categories of phrase-level phonological rules, relation-based & boundary based, are identified within these dialects. Implications of these findings for Chinese language instruction are briefly considered. L. Taub.