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Beijing Mandarin nasalization upon r-suffixation is phonologized: A nasometry study
Christine Gu1, Kaustubh Ghoshal1, Zhilang Liu2
1New York University, New York, New York 10012, USA.
JASA Express Letters
|August 12, 2026
Summary
Beijing Mandarin r-suffixation overwrites nasal codas. Nasometry data show the alternation is phonological, not based on phonetic differences in stem vowel nasalization.
Area of Science:
- Linguistics
- Phonetics
- Phonology
Background:
- R-suffixation in Beijing Mandarin is a diminutive process.
- It typically overwrites syllable-final nasal codas.
- Previous research suggested phonetic differences in stem nasalization drive the process.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the phonetic basis of nasal coda overwriting in Beijing Mandarin r-suffixation.
- To test Zhang's (2000) hypothesis using nasometry.
Main Methods:
- A nasometry study was conducted.
- Acoustic analysis of nasalance in CVn and CVŋ stems and their r-suffixed forms.
Main Results:
- No significant nasalance difference was found between CVn and CVŋ stems.
- A significant nasalization contrast persisted in r-suffixed forms.
- This contradicts previous aerodynamic evidence.
Conclusions:
- The nasal coda alternation in Beijing Mandarin r-suffixation is likely reanalyzed as phonological.
- Phonetic differences in stem vowel nasalization do not drive this alternation.
