Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Use of Segmentation Cues in Second Language Learners of English

博士论文研究：分割线索在英语第二语言学习者中的使用

• 批准号: 1251589
• 负责人: Min Wang
• 金额: $ 1.35万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-01 至 2015-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1251589&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Use; Segmentation

The first step in speech comprehension is to break up the speech signal and identify the individual words. To do so, one must locate where one word ends and the next begins. Unlike in written text, where there is a visual gap between pairs of words, no such reliable cue for word boundaries exists in spoken speech. Research has shown that native English listeners can utilize a set of cues to segment continuous speech, including the structure and meaning of sentences, knowledge of what constitutes a real word in English, sensitivity to whether a sound is allowed in a certain position in the word, and the emphasis given to a part of the word. However, it is not clear whether these segmentation cues are used by nonnative listeners in a similar fashion. The use of cues may be influenced by nonnative listeners' English proficiency. Beginning or intermediate second language (L2) learners may have less established knowledge about what constitute a real word in English. Also, L2 learners' use of cues may be influenced by the characteristics of sounds in their native languages. Four groups of participants, including a monolingual English group and three nonnative groups (Mandarin, Korean, and Spanish), will participate in four experiments. Each experiment will examine how L2 learners differ from native listeners in the use of cues and how the three L2 groups differ from each other as a result of their native language experiences.Understanding speech is a critical component in language acquisition and identifying cues that can facilitate this process will benefit both learners and teachers. There are nearly 40 million L2 learners in the U.S.; improved English proficiency will help them become more competitive and productive in the work place. This study also contributes to the training of a promising young researcher.

语音理解的第一步是分解语音信号并识别各个单词。为此，必须找到一个单词的结束位置和下一个单词的开始位置。与书面文本不同，在书面文本中，单词对之间存在视觉间隙，而口语中不存在这种可靠的单词边界提示。研究表明，以英语为母语的听众可以利用一组线索来分割连续的语音，包括句子的结构和含义、对英语中真正单词的构成的了解、对单词中某个位置是否允许发音的敏感度以及对单词的一部分的强调。然而，目前尚不清楚非母语听众是否以类似的方式使用这些分段提示。提示的使用可能会受到非母语听众英语水平的影响。初级或中级第二语言 (L2) 学习者可能对英语中的真实单词的构成了解较少。此外，第二语言学习者对提示的使用可能会受到其母语声音特征的影响。四组参与者，包括单语英语组和三个非母语组（普通话、韩语和西班牙语），将参加四项实验。每个实验都将考察第二语言学习者与母语听众在使用提示方面有何不同，以及三个第二语言群体因其母语体验而彼此有何不同。理解语音是语言习得的关键组成部分，识别可以促进这一过程的提示将使学习者和教师都受益。美国有近 4000 万第二语言学习者；提高英语水平将帮助他们在工作场所更具竞争力和生产力。这项研究也有助于培养有前途的年轻研究人员。