从三字组时长分布看汉语的词重音问题

Word stress and the duration pattern of Mandarin trisyllabicwords

本文用实验的方法考察各种树形分支结构的三字组时长分布模式,发现各类三字组总时长趋同,时长分布模式也趋同。“中短长”作为三字组强势时长分布模式,覆盖了各类三字组因声、韵、调及语法、语义的不同而存在的时长差异。在一个韵律单元内部,边界位置时长长,音高得到充分体现;中间位置时长短,从而成为过渡音节。通过这样的时长配置形成韵律单元内部“紧”、外部“松”的格局。从而证明汉语并非轻重型语言,而是松紧型语言。汉语没有英语那样的词重音,松紧韵律结构更适应汉语作为声调语言的特点。

This study investigates the duration pattern of Mandarin trisyllabic words in all tree branch structures by experimental methods.The analysis suggests that trisyllabic words in Mandarin tend to share the same total length of duration and the same duration pattern.The prevalent pattern of"medium-short-long"bridges the duration differences between various types of trisyllabic words.Within a prosodic unit,the duration of syllables at the boundary tends to be longer with wider pitch range whereas those in the middle are often as short as transitional syllables.Such duration patern leads to the"tightness"inside and"looseness"outside.Hence,Mandarin should be a sylable-timed rather than stress-timed language.Unlike the word stress in English,sylable-timed prosodic pattern is more suitable for Mandarin as a tonal language.