An Acoustic Study on Focus in Chinese: The Variation of Intensity

In this paper, the average intensity and the effect of focus on it for disyllabic words in Chinese is analyzed. It is found that, under focused condition, the average intensity of rhyme in the first syllable is comparatively great, while for the onset, due to intervocalic voicing, that in the second syllable is great. Focus has great effect on intensity. Under focused condition, the overall intensity will increase. The results from this study will be applicable in speech engineering.