The Contribution of Speaking Rate, Talker, and Coarticulation to Lexical Tone Processing: Effects of Language Background and Training

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。虽然听语音是一件毫不费力的事情，但语音的实际线索会随着上下文而不断变化。语音感知研究的一个基本问题是听者如何能够从可变的语音信号中提取和整合信息。这个项目通过检查声音变异性的三个基本来源来研究感知恒定是如何实现的：说话速度的变化，说话者产生话语的差异，以及由句子上下文引起的变化。具体来说，该项目将收集数据，记录在话语产生过程中发生的变化范围，以及母语人士如何适应这种变化。该项目还将研究非母语听众如何处理这种变化。最后一个组成部分将决定非母语听众的培训程序如何帮助实现更成功的第二语言学习。因此，本建议将有助于理解母语和非母语听众如何能够适应语音信号的变化，从而使熟练的语言处理成为可能。本研究包括一系列涉及语言感知线索获取和训练的跨语言研究。本研究将重点放在汉语普通话的声调上，作为一个理想的案例，将研究扩展到单个语音之外。由于研究的国际性，该项目将促进美国和中国机构之间的合作联系。这些实验的发现将对第二语言教学产生直接影响，并可能强调在第二语言课堂中需要特定的语音训练方法，在这种方法中，学习者系统地接触到语境变化的各个方面（如说话速度、说话者和协同发音信息），以帮助语言学习。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Although listening to speech is typically an effortless task, the actual cues to speech sounds continually fluctuate due to context. A fundamental issue in the study of speech perception is how listeners are able to extract and integrate information from the variable speech signal. This project investigates how perceptual constancy is achieved by examining three fundamental sources of acoustic variability: changes in the rate at which an utterance is spoken, differences due to which talker produced the utterance, and variations resulting from the sentence context. Specifically, the project will collect data documenting the range of variation that occurs in the production of utterances and how native speakers adjust to this variation. The project will also examine how non-native listeners handle this variation. A final component will determine how training procedures for non-native listeners can help to achieve more successful second language learning. As such, the present proposal will contribute to understanding how both native and non-native listeners are able to adjust to changes in the speech signal such that proficient language processing is possible.This research consists of a series of cross-linguistic studies involving the acquisition and training of cues to speech perception. The research focuses on Mandarin Chinese lexical tones as an ideal case for extending investigations beyond individual speech sounds. The project will foster collaborative contact between U.S. and Chinese institutions due to the international nature of the research. Findings from these experiments will have direct implications for the teaching of second languages and may highlight the need for specific phonetic training approaches in second language classrooms in which learners are systematically exposed to aspects of contextual variation (such as speaking rate, talker, and coarticulatory information) to aid in language learning.