影響台灣英語學習者口語詞彙辨識因素之研究

Factors Affecting Chinese EFL Learners' Spoken Word Recognition

口語詞彙辨識能力在有效的口語溝通中扮演極為重要之角色（Flood, Lapp, Squire & Jensen, 2003）。相較於書寫形式之語言，口說形式之語言較具挑戰性，因順暢語流中常隱藏縮減音，且學習者之理解力常因能否辨識縮減音而決定。為完全理解自然說出之語句，EFL/ESL 學習者需具備基本口語語流知識，如子音加子音之連音、子音加母音之連音、/h/省略、縮短音、顎化音及舌拍音等。Henrichsen 於1984年首度檢視ESL 學習者在理解有無縮減音句子之表現差異。其研究結果顯示縮減音之使用及ESL 學習者的英文程度是影響理解力之兩個重要因素。相同地，台灣EFL學習者也面臨連音之難題（Kuo, 2009; Wang, 2005），而日本EFL 學習者則有辨識縮短音及/h/省略之問題（Crawford, 2006）。本研究首先複製並延伸Henrichsen 之研究以確定縮減音是否影響台灣 EFL 學習者之口語詞彙辨識能力，並進一步確定引發問題之口語語流類型。研究對象為103 位英語系大二學生，其英語聽力程度以全民英檢中級得分區分為高、中、低三等級。依據上述六種縮減音類型，本研究自行開發內容為24 個句子之聽寫測驗作為主要測驗工具，並邀請一位具有20 年發音教學經驗之外師進行數位錄音。成對樣本t 檢定結果顯示縮減音之存在顯著影響受測者之聽力理解。進一步二因數ANOVA 統計分析結果顯示受試者之聽力程度與口語語流類型為預測EFL 學習者口語詞彙辨識能力表現之主要因素。

Spoken word recognition is vital to effective oral communication (Flood, Lapp, Squire & Jensen, 2003). Since language in the spoken form is more challenging in light of the fact that ears have to discern sounds which cross the word boundaries for fluency, the ability to comprehend and identify correctly what is said is therefore the key to understanding spoken English. To fully comprehend a naturally pronounced sentence well, EFL/ESL learners need a basic knowledge of connected speech, including C-C linking, C-V linking, /h/-deletion, contraction, palatalization, and flapping. In a pioneering study, Henrichsen (1984) examined ESL learners' performance difference in comprehending sentences spoken with reduced perceptual saliency and in understanding those spoken with 'distinct but natural' pronunciation. The presence of connected speech modifications and the ESL learners' general English proficiency were found to affect the comprehensibility of input for these ESL learners. Likewise, Taiwanese EFL learners were found to encounter difficulties with linking (Kuo, 2009; Wang, 2005), whereas Japanese EFL learners had problems with contraction and /h/-deletion in speech perception (Crawford, 2006). This study thus replicates and extends Henrichsen's study to determine whether connected speech modifications influence Taiwanese EFL learners' spoken word recognition and to further categorize their difficulties with the various components of connected speech modifications. The participants are 103 Sophomore English majors at three distinct English listening proficiency levels based on their scorings on the intermediate-level GEPT. A dictation test of 24 digitally recorded sentences, containing the aforementioned connected speech patterns, was developed. Paired t-test results showed that the presence of connected speech modifications significantly affected the subjects' listening comprehension. Further two-way ANOVA analyses revealed that the subjects' general listening proficiency and types of connected speech patterns were the predictors of their performance in English spoken word recognition.