Differential perception of tonal contours through the syllable

This paper proposes a model of differential tonal perception in which the perception of tonal movement in spoken language is influenced by syllable structure. In the proposed model, tonal movement at the syllable onset is perceptually coded differently from movement in the syllable nucleus or in the coda. An F0 contour through the syllable onset or at the beginning of the nucleus is coded as a level tone, while a contour through the nucleus or at the beginning of the coda is coded as a contour tone.