Project information
Voices of Standard Chinese: Prosodic Variation by Age and Gender in Mainland China and Taiwan

This research project aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of prosodic feature evolution and variation in Standard Chinese. The central objective is to move beyond conventional statistical modeling to uncover complex relationships within the data, which is paramount given the influence of sociolinguistic factors (age, gender) and the dynamic nature of language change.

The project involves two interconnected research streams. The first stream addresses diachronic change by re-collecting a speech dataset from a subsequent generation of speakers—a decade after the initial fieldwork. This longitudinal comparison is a vital contribution, allowing for the verification and expansion of previously observed trends in tonal language evolution and providing unique insights into the shifting prosodic landscape of Standard Chinese.

The second stream introduces a crucial cross-cultural comparative study of prosodic features between the mainland Standard Chinese and Huayu (Taiwanese Standard Chinese). This comparative analysis will be facilitated by new field data collection in Taiwan.

By combining theoretical models of prosody with new, authentic field data from both mainland China and Taiwan, this research offers a robust framework for a more complete understanding of Standard Chinese prosody across different geographical and generational cohorts. The findings are expected to be academically significant, bridging the theoretical and empirical divide, and possess practical implications for language education and communication studies.