Zhang Liang
School of Foreign Studies, China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing 100088, China.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jun 2;15(6):766. doi: 10.3390/bs15060766.
This study investigated the prosodic realization of the focus effect induced by the conjunction (because) in Chinese causal complex sentences. Although previous research has demonstrated the focal effect of , its prosodic manifestations remain unclear. Guided by the Implicit Prosody Hypothesis, in this study, we explored both implicit and explicit prosodic patterns across different conjunctions and linear-order conditions. Thirty Mandarin Chinese speakers (mean age = 20.2, gender-balanced) participated in silent and spoken reading tasks. Statistical analyses, including chi-square tests and Linear Mixed-Effects Models, were employed to assess the focus assignment and prosodic realization. The results indicate a consistent and robust focus effect of , marked by the primary stress on the succeeding cause clause in both implicit and explicit prosody. These findings enhance our understanding of the interplay between syntax and prosody in Chinese causal complex sentences.
本研究调查了汉语因果复合句中连词（因为）所引发的焦点效应的韵律实现。尽管先前的研究已经证明了[此处原文可能有误，推测应为“because”的相关焦点效应]，但其韵律表现仍不明确。在隐性韵律假说的指导下，本研究探讨了不同连词和线性顺序条件下的隐性和显性韵律模式。30名说普通话的人（平均年龄 = 20.2岁，性别均衡）参与了默读和朗读任务。采用包括卡方检验和线性混合效应模型在内的统计分析来评估焦点分配和韵律实现。结果表明，[此处原文可能有误，推测应为“because”的相关焦点效应]具有一致且稳健的焦点效应，在隐性和显性韵律中，后续原因从句上的主重音为其标志。这些发现增进了我们对汉语因果复合句中句法与韵律相互作用的理解。
