Strength of syllabic influences on articulation in Mandarin Chinese and French: Insights from a motor control approach

(2) Across CV2 boundaries, anticipatory coarticulation is observed in numerous cases in French, while no significant anticipation can be noted in Mandarin Chinese. We conclude that these measures provide evidence for the hypothesis that the strength of the syllable as a unit of speech planning is more important in Mandarin Chinese than in French. Finally, we propose potential explanations for these differences.