Chinese is a tone language. Since the concept of neutral tone was put forward, it has received much attention from many linguists. This thesis first briefly reviews the studies of the neutral tone in Standard Mandarin. Meanwhile, the definition and the acoustic features of the neutral tone are introduced. Then, the distribution and functions of the neutral tone in Mandarin are further discussed. It is found that the neutral tone plays a significant role in Standard Mandarin. This research will help language learners and researchers better understand the neutral tone in Standard Mandarin.
Wei, G.Q. (2005) Neutral Tone and Weak Stress in Beijing Mandarin and the Transcription of the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet of Putonghua. Studies of the Chinese Language, 6, 525-536 576.
