The neutralization of Xiapu Min tones in disyllabic tone sandhi forms

Tone sandhi can result in both incomplete and complete tone neutralization. Chien and Jongman (2018) proposed that unproductive (i.e., lexicalized) tone sandhi (as in Taiwan Min) tends to have complete neutralization; productive tone sandhi usually shows incomplete neutralization (as in Mandarin; Zhang and Lai, 2010). The current study tests whether tone sandhi is phonetically neutralized in Xiapu Min, an Eastern Min variety from Fujian, China (Wen, 2015). Xiapu Min has seven tones, five of which are smooth tones (44, 11, 42, 35, 23) and two of which are checked tones (5, 2). Tone sandhi occurs in disyllabic words and results in neutralization (e.g., Tone 42, 35, and 5 are neutralized to Tone 55 when word-initial.) We test the completeness of this neutralization by investigating potential differences in F0, duration, and phonation, which is measured acoustically using H1*–H2* and HNR, and articulatorily using electroglottographic open quotient. We also determine the productivity of Xiapu Min by testing whether tone sandhi emerges in nonce words. The results will illustrate whether the tonal neutralization is complete in Xiapu Min real words and will bring further data to bear on the relation between sandhi productivity and the completeness of neutralization.