Properties of Neutral Tone and Its Standardization Principles
Zhu Hongy · Applied Linguistics · 2009
This paper points out that the features of neutral tone include weak stress,short duration and the steady lose of its original Given its non-functionality and the influence of dialect,neutral tone can be found stressed in some cases. As such,we propose three principles for neutral note standardization,namely,strictly sticking to the properties of neutral tone,and making distinction between from neutral tone and articulated weak stress,and allowing a position for optional neutral tone. This paper also argues that an advanced standard list of neutral tone words is needed,which is open to choice for different needs and different people.