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Proceedings

Investigating the Tone-Segment Asymmetry in Phonological Counting: A Learnability Experiment 

Authors
  • Jian Cui (Harvard University)
  • Hanna Shine
  • Youngah Do (The University of Hong Kong)
  • Jesse Snedeker

Abstract

Tone-segment asymmetry has been a frequently discussed topic in phonology, with much theoretical work dedicated to characterizing the differences between the two. The present study provides the first experimental evidence, using an artificial learning paradigm, to investigate whether the typological asymmetry observed in phonological counting correlates with a learnability profile. The findings show that an unattested segmental counting rule is more difficult to learn than its tonal counterpart, suggesting that learning biases may play a role in shaping the observed typological asymmetry.

How to Cite:

Cui, J., Shine, H., Do, Y. & Snedeker, J., (2026) “Investigating the Tone-Segment Asymmetry in Phonological Counting: A Learnability Experiment ”, Proceedings of the Annual Meetings on Phonology 2(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/amphonology.3699

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Published on
2026-03-14

Peer Reviewed

License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0