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Dialectal and gender differences in nasalance for a Mandarin population
Ha-Kyung Kim1,2, Xiao-meng Yu3, Yan-jing Cao4
1a The Key Laboratory of Speech & Hearing Sciences, East China Normal University, Ministry of Education , Shanghai , China.
Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics
|February 9, 2016
Summary
This study found significant dialect and gender differences in Mandarin vowel nasalance among 400 adults. Females and Chongqing dialect speakers exhibited higher nasalance scores across all tested speech materials.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Speech Science
- Audiology
Background:
- Nasalance, a measure of oral-nasal acoustic coupling, is crucial for assessing resonance disorders.
- Understanding variations in nasalance based on dialect and gender is essential for accurate clinical assessment in diverse populations.
- Previous research has not comprehensively explored dialectal and gender influences on nasalance in Mandarin speakers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate dialectal and gender-related differences in nasalance for main Mandarin vowels and sentences.
- To establish normative nasalance data for different Chinese dialects and genders.
- To inform clinical decisions and theoretical linguistic understanding.
Main Methods:
- A quantitative study involving 400 healthy adult native Mandarin speakers from diverse dialect regions (Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou).
- Nasalance scores were measured for sustained vowels (/a/, /i/, /u/) and three specific sentences (including nasal and oro-nasal sentences).
- Statistical analysis (p < .001) was employed to determine significant differences based on dialect and gender.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in mean nasalance scores were observed across dialects and between genders for all speech materials (p < .001).
- Nasalance scores followed a pattern: Chongqing > Beijing > Shanghai > Guangzhou for nasal/oro-nasal sentences and vowels /a/, /i/, /u/.
- Female participants consistently demonstrated higher average nasalance scores than male participants across all dialects and speech materials.
Conclusions:
- Dialect and gender are significant factors influencing nasalance in Mandarin speakers.
- Findings provide crucial normative data for diagnosing resonance disorders in Chinese populations with conditions like cleft palate, hearing loss, or dysarthria.
- The study highlights the importance of considering socio-cultural linguistic variables in speech production and assessment.
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