Chinese characters: Semantic and phonetic regularity norms for China, Singapore, and Taiwan

Abstract

Cognitive models of language processing in English are founded on norms for word properties, but their universality is now being explored across different writing scripts and subject groups. Although Chinese characters are popular for this comparative work, their salient properties remain ill defined or poorly controlled. We describe how norms for semantic and phonetic regularity in Mandarin can be calibrated on a regional basis. The rating data that we present from China, Singapore, and Taiwan also illustrate why the diversity of both oral and written forms of Chinese should be considered in future empirical work.