Effects of F0 dimensions in perception of Mandarin tones

This study focuses on the perception of two synthesized Mandarin tones: the high level tone (Tone 1) and the high falling tone (Tone 4), which have been reported difficult for Cantonese learners of Mandarin. As the two tones are distinctive in F0 directions and also vary in F0 onsets, it is worth investigating why Cantonese listeners find them perceptually indistinguishable. We aim to find out what F0 cues Cantonese listeners rely on in perceiving these two Mandarin tones by modifying the F0 curves along two dimensions: F0 onset and F0 slope. Results show that Mandarin listeners are able to identify the two pitches based on F0 slope irrespective of F0 onsets, whereas Cantonese listeners seem more sensitive towards the variation of F0 onsets.