Seriality of semantic and phonological processes during overt speech in Mandarin as revealed by event-related brain potentials

• We examine the interplay between semantic and phonological processes in Mandarin.
• No temporal overlap and no interaction between semantic and phonological effects.
• Information is transmitted from semantics to phonology in a sequential fashion.
• Findings indicate crucial divergence between alphabetic and non-alphabetic languages.

How is information transmitted across semantic and phonological levels in spoken word production? Recent evidence from speakers of Western languages such as English and Dutch suggests non-discrete transmission, but it is not clear whether this view can be generalized to other languages such as Mandarin, given potential differences in phonological encoding across languages. The present study used Mandarin speakers and combined a behavioral picture–word interference task with event-related potentials. The design factorially crossed semantic and phonological relatedness. Results showed semantic and phonological effects both in behavioral and electrophysiological measurements, with statistical additivity in latencies, and discrete time signatures (250–450 ms and 450–600 ms after picture onset for the semantic and phonological condition, respectively). Overall, results suggest that in Mandarin spoken production, information is transmitted from semantic to phonological levels in a sequential fashion. Hence, temporal signatures associated with spoken word production might differ depending on target language.