超声视觉生物反馈在母语为普通话使用者英语辅音及元音的口音矫正中的功效研究

Ultrasound Visual Biofeedback and Accent Modification:Effects on Consonant and Vowel Accuracy for Mandarin English Language Learners

目的:旨在检验将超声视觉生物反馈作为主要工具使用于母语为普通话使用者美国英语的辅音及元音的口音矫正服务中的效果。方法:母语为普通话的2名成年人对上述生物反馈结合听觉感知及视觉感知进行了测量。采用单受试者ABAB倒逆设计方法,同时使用超声视觉生物反馈、词语提示及感知训练以改善受试者在英语词汇中的/r/、/I/和/ε/的构音。结果:无经验听觉评估者对上述语音进行的感知分级评估显示出了超声视觉生物反馈对该语音的改善机能。同时,定量分析的结果也表明受试者在对英语语音之间差别的感知能力也得到了改善。结论:多层分析显示出超声视觉生物反馈的干预提高了2位母语为普通话的受试者对美国英语词汇中/r/、/I/和/ε/的构音精确性。另有迹象显示上述的构音改善对未经训练的美国英语的其他音节以及更具有挑战性的语句也具有普适性。

Objective:To examine the effect of ultrasound visual biofeedback as a primary tool in accent modification services for American English consonant and vowel targets produced by native Mandarin speakers.Methods:The biofeedback was measured by perceptual and visual analyses.A single-subject ABAB withdrawal design was employed with two adults who spoke Mandarin as their first language.Ultrasound visual biofeedback,verbal cues,and perceptual training were implemented to improve production of/r/,/I/,and/ε/in words.Results:Perceptual ratings by naive listeners indicated that phoneme production improved as a function of ultrasound visual biofeedback training.The participants also improved their ability to perceive phonetic differences as evidenced by quantitative analyses.Conclusion:Analyses showed that ultrasound visual biofeedback intervention improved production accuracy for American English/r/,/I/,and/ε/produced by two native Mandarin speakers.Additionally,there was evidence of generalization to untrained targets and more challenging contexts.