普通话作为二语的节奏模式的实验研究

Acoustic Study for Rhythmic Patterns of Mandarin as a Second Language

节奏特征对于语音的自然度有直接影响。针对普通话语音,本文比较了普通话母语者、母语为粤语的二语学习者、母语为英语的二语学习者的节奏模式。研究从含有轻声的孤立词开始,重点考察连续语流,通过11种时长指标的测量从客观上分析节奏模式。针对连续语流的研究发现,基于语速无关的或者语速归一化的时长指标,作为二语的普通话显示出与母语普通话非常接近的节奏模式;而基于未做语速归一化处理的时长指标,作为二语的普通话则向重音节拍模式的方向迁移,与说话人母语的节奏模式无关。这一结果,与孤立词情形下的结果并不一致,也违反了母语迁移效应的一般假设,但是与我们的听感基本吻合,其原因可以用二语与母语的语速差异、以及韵律结构变化带来的停延频次的差异来解释。

Rhythm plays an important role in the naturalness of speech. This study compared rhythmic patterns of Mandarin speech between native speakers and two groups of L2 speakers whose first languages were Cantonese and English, respectively. The study started from isolated words, but focused on continuous speech, for which eleven durational metrics were used as objective rhythm indicators. The results on continuous speech showed that nonnative Mandarin gave a quite similar rhythmic mode as native one in terms of rate - normalized/independent metrics, but shifted towards the stress - timed class in terms of raw metrics, regardless of the rhythmic class of the L1. This seems to conflict with the L1 transfer effect and the results for isolated words, but it coincides with auditory impression and can be explained by speech rate difference and the lengthening effects associated with the change in prosodic structure.