ABSTRACT
This study investigates the non-native contour tones (Tone 2 and Tone 4) produced by native English, Japanese, and Korean-speaking learners of Mandarin Chinese. It is found that adult learners’ Tone 2 (mid-rising tone) and, to some extent, their Tone 4 (high falling tone) tend to be less intelligible to native listeners when followed by tones starting with a high onset (Tone 1 or Tone 4). This study argues that this type of error is caused by anticipatory dissimilation and presents evidence from speakers’ (1) accuracy rates, (2) pitch values, and (3) error types. The findings suggest that, in addition to interference from adult learners’ first language and the prosodic structures found in the target language, some “universal” articulatory constraints may also cause tonal errors when adult learners speak Chinese as a second language. Additionally, it is found that anticipatory co-articulation in L2 tones exerts a greater effect on Tone 2 than it does on Tone 4. Pedagogical implications are discussed in hopes that findings from this study can provide insight for learners of Chinese.
本文对英、日、韩为母语的汉语学习者的曲折调（二声、四声）发音状况进行调查，发现当二声和四声位于以高音开头的声调（一、四声）之前时，二声尾部和四声开头（高音部位）降低，导致曲折调在词首位置的辨识度/准确率下降。换言之，对汉语学习者来说，曲折调(特别是二声)在一声和四声前发音时比在其他位置要更困难。本文通过比较准确率、测量基频和检验错误类型这三种手段找到证据，证明汉语学习者的曲折调在词首的这种声调表现并非完全因为受到母语或者目的语的影响，而是受到“逆向异化”这种普遍声调协同发音机制的限制。也就是说，尽管表现形式与在自然语言中有所不同，但是“逆向异化”在一定程度上约束着汉语学习者曲折调的表现。同时，“逆向异化”机制对学习者的二声的影响比四声要大得多。本文也提供了相应语音训练材料以帮助学习者克服这类语音困难。
