英汉语声调的音系差异

Phonological Difference of Tone in English and Chinese

英语声调不限于单音节,但与多音节密切相关,且不载义,当被称为广义声调;汉语声调几乎都是单音节,且载义,已被称作狭义声调。就声学表现而言,音强是英语重音的本质属性,音高是汉语声调的本质属性。英语音高由重读层反射到重音层,使声调成为语调的一部分,汉语音节调与句调构成了“小波浪跨在大波浪上”的互动关系。英汉语声调的音系差异恰好为汉语习得者的“重音盲点”与英语习得者的“声调盲点”所证实。

Tone in English is not limited to a monosyllable but closely related to polysyllables without carrying word meaning, which should be called the tone in its broad sense. Tone in Chinese, however, is confined to a monosyllable containing meaning, which has been called the tone in its narrow sense. In terms of acoustic representation, intensity of stress in English and pitch of tone in Chinese serve as their intrinsic properties respectively. Pitch in English is reflected from accent level to stress level, from which its tone emerges as a part of intonation, whereas the interaction of syllabic tone and sentence intonation in Chinese forms the interactive relation of “small ripples riding on large waves”. The phonological difference of “tone” in both languages is justly confirmed by “stress deafness” for Chinese English learners and “tone deafness” for English Chinese learners.