CROSS-LANGUAGE STUDIES OF VOWEL ACOUSTICS AND PERCEPTION

这项基础研究的长期目标是明确 语音信号中区分元音的独特声学模式 使用不同的语言，并了解监听者 从复杂的声音信号中恢复与语言相关的消息。 目标是调查元音出现时的声学和知觉 在连续的讲话中，以便将结果推广到实际情况。一个 拟议的研究的具体重点是探索元音如何变化 在声学上与当地和全球的情况相适应。(直接拼音和 语音语境、说话风格、语速、句子韵律)和TO 研究这些声学变化如何影响对非本族人的感知 第二语言学习者的元音。提出了三套研究方案：(L) 美国英语元音声学变异的跨语言比较 (AE)、北德语、丹麦语、德语、法语和日语；(2) 听者判断丹麦语时元音的跨语言知觉相似性， 德语和法语元音以及日语听众对AE和德语的评判 元音；以及(3)知觉训练研究 知觉训练对非本地人产生和知觉困难的影响 成年外语学习者的元音(学习德语的人和 说法语、日语的人学习英语)。这些研究将有助于 我们对一种特定语言的经验如何塑造先天的理解 能力。结果将使我们能够对问题做出更好的预测 面向成人外语学习者培养外语技能 语言教学和减少口音。结果也将提供证据 与当前有关母语语音表征的理论相关。 更好的正常言语知觉和产生理论的发展 儿童和成人构成了对儿童和成人问题研究进展的基础 患有语音障碍的非典型发育儿童。

The long-term objectives of this basic research are to specify the distinctive acoustic patterns in speech signals that differentiate the vowels in different languages and to understand the processes by which listeners recover the linguistically-relevant message from the complex acoustic signals. The goal is to investigate the acoustics and perception of vowels as they occur in continuous speech so that results may be generalized to actual situations. A specific focus of the proposed research is to explore how vowels vary acoustically with local and global situations. (immediate phonetic and phonotactic context, speaking style, speaking rate, sentence prosody) and to investigate how these acoustic variations affect the perception of non-native vowels by second language learners. Three sets of studies are proposed: (l) cross-language comparisons of acoustic variation in vowels of American English (AE), North German, Danish, German French, and Japanese; (2) studies of cross-language perceptual similarity of vowels by AE listeners judging Danish, German and French vowels and by Japanese listeners judging AE and German vowels; and (3) perceptual training studies which investigate the effects of perception training on the production and perception of difficult non-native vowels by adult learners of a foreign language (AE speakers learning German and French, Japanese speakers learning English). These studies will contribute to our understanding of how experience with a particular language shapes inborn capabilities. Results will allow us to make better predictions about problems facing adult foreign language learners and to develop techniques for foreign language instruction and accent reduction. Results will also provide evidence relevant to current theories about native-language phonological representation. Development of better theories of speech perception and production in normal children and adults form the basis for advances in research into problems of atypically developing children with phonological disorders.