Speech Rate Influence on Rhythm Alterations in Mandarin

In addition to affecting the segmental levels, speech rate can also influence suprasegmental acoustic features, such as rhythm. As an essential element of prosody, the rhythmic properties of Mandarin at different speech rates have been underexplored. This study aims to explore the impact of speech rate on the rhythmic characteristics of Mandarin Chinese in semi-spontaneous speech. Using speech materials from the CCTV news broadcast, the study employs a linear mixed-effects model to compare the differences in rhythmic patterns between normal and slow speech rates. The results indicate that speech rate has a statistically significant effect on Mandarin rhythm, both for vowels and consonants, with the values of rhythmic parameters being significantly higher under slow speech conditions compared to normal speech conditions. It suggests that Mandarin Chinese exhibits greater intra-syllabic and inter-syllabic variability in rhythm at slower speech rates. Reduced speech rate may enhance the expressiveness and complexity of Mandarin rhythm. This finding highlights the importance of considering speech rate in studies of Mandarin prosody.