汉语言语产生的语音加工单元—基于音位的研究

Speech production studies have demonstrated cross-linguistic differences in the processing units involved in phonological encoding. It has been widely assumed a critical role of phonemes in spoken production of Indo-European languages. Phonemes are normally conceived of as abstractions of discrete segmental speech sounds which can distinguish the meaning between words. For instance, the word "big" represents a sequence of three phonemes /b/, /i/, /g/. Currently, investigations on the processing units in Chinese spoken production mainly focused on syllables, whereas only few studies concern the role of phonemes. In the present project, we propose to comprehensively tackle the role of phoneme in Chinese speech production, focusing on its psychological reality, potential factors influencing phoneme-based effects, processing mechanism and temporal properties, using both behavioural and electrophysiological techniques. Specifically, we will investigate: 1) whether phonemic processing has "psychological reality" in Chinese speech production, and whether sensitivity to phonemic representations is artificially induced by exposure to English as a second language, experience of Pinyin, or phoneme-based typing input method? 2) How do we process phonemes? Specifically, we are interested in whether phoneme-based effects are phoneme-specific and position-specific, how phonemes associate together to form larger units, and the temporal properties of phonemic processing. The findings of the present project will not only improve our understanding of how Chinese speakers produce words in mind/brain, but also provide insights into the construction and development of theoretical and computational models of Chinese speech production. In addition, the findings will provide basis for cross-language comparisons, and the development of scientific teaching approaches of Chinese phonology.

现有研究表明，言语产生的语音加工单元具有跨语言的特异性。在印欧语言中，普遍认为音位是语音加工的重要功能单元。音位指具体语言中能够区别意义的最小语音单位，如 “big” 包含三个音位/b/, /i/, /g/。目前，在汉语言语产生中，对语音加工单元的研究多集中在音节单元上，对音位的研究较少。本项目将结合多种行为学范式和事件相关电位技术，对汉语言语产生中的音位加工进行探讨，试图考察：1)在汉语言语产生中，音位加工的心理现实性，以及音位表征是否受第二语言、汉语拼音习得、拼音使用经验的影响？2)在汉语言语产生中，音位的加工机制是怎样的？具体而言，音位加工的特异性、位置编码、组合方式、时间进程是怎样的？对这些问题的回答，将有助于深化对汉语言语产生的认识，为建立汉语言语产生计算模型提供基础；另外，进行汉语认知研究，为比较印欧语言与汉语在机制上的异同提供基础；为制定汉语语音教育教学方法提供心理学依据。

本项目1）考察了汉语语言产生中语音编码的加工单元和加工机制，揭示了音节和音位均为汉语言语产生的语音加工单元，音节与音位加工并非以严格的序列方式依次进行的，而是采用层叠式的加工模式；2）考察了音节与亚音节单元在汉语听觉词汇识别中的作用，揭示了汉语听觉词汇识别中音位的心理现实性；3）考察了语义和语音加工的相对时间进程，揭示了在言语产生中语义和语音是并行加工的，对传统的序列加工模型提出了质疑；4）提出了语音编码与语义编码的竞争学习机制，构建了汉语语音编码的计算模型。在项目执行期间，项目主持人以第一/通讯作者身份发表11篇文章，这些论文发表在心理学、认知科学、认知神经科学的权威期刊上，如Cognition, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychologia, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Language, Memory, and Cognition。