视听输入对二语学习者英汉韵律边界的感知效应研究

Effects of audiovisual cues on perception of English and Chinese prosodic boundaries by L2 learners

国内韵律感知研究一直关注传统的听觉韵律,然而,言语感知的过程实际上是视听觉模态融合的认知加工过程,感知者凭借听觉(边界调)和视觉(面部表情)线索对韵律边界进行信息加工。本研究以McGurk效应为理论基础,通过对反应时和准确率的测量,考察视听输入对中国二语学习者英汉韵律边界的感知效应,并与英语母语者英语韵律边界的视听觉感知进行对比。结果表明:1)视觉模态对边界的感知效应最强;2)汉语边界较英语更慢也更难感知,受母语语言的影响,学习者对一语和二语韵律边界的听觉感知模式不同,视听觉模态的感知表现出母语优势和组内优势效应;3)英语母语者在英语韵律边界的听觉感知上表现出母语优势,学习者英语韵律边界的视觉感知和视听觉感知加工接近英语母语者,说明视觉信息能促进二语学习者对外语的理解;4)非末尾边界比末尾更易感知。反应时和准确率总体呈现一致性(反应时越短,准确率越高)。

Perceptual studies on prosody in China have concentrated on the traditional auditory prosody for decades; however, the process of speech perception is actually a cognitive integration of auditory and visual modalities, and observers process information of prosodic boundaries by both auditory(boundary tones) and visual(facial expressions) cues. Based on the McGurk effect theory, the current study reveals the effect of audiovisual cues on perception of English and Chinese boundaries by L2 learners, with measurement of reaction time and accuracy. Results show that: 1) visual cues have the strongest effect on boundary perception; 2) it is slower and more difficult to judge Chinese boundaries than to judge English ones. Affected by the native language, L2 learners demonstrate different auditory perceptual patterns in L1 and L2 boundaries, showing L1 advantage and groupadvantage effect in audiovisual condition; 3) English native speakers show L1 advantage in auditory perception of English boundaries, while L2 learners perform similarly as native speakers in visual and audiovisual perception of English boundaries, suggesting that visual cues can facilitate the comprehension of a foreign language by L2 learners; 4) it is faster and easier to detect the non-final boundaries than the final ones. There are consistent correlations between the measures of reaction time and accuracy(i.e., shorter responses correlate with higher accuracy).