賽德克族太魯閣語之語言轉移評估初探

Baseline Results from a Psycholinguistic Tool for the Assessment of Language Shift in Truku Seediq

A major obstacle to the early diagnosis of language shift is the absence of an easy-to-use measure of language strength. The body-part naming task being developed as part of the Hawai'i Assessment of Language Access (HALA) project exploits the fact that the speed with which bilingual speakers access lexical items in their two languages offers a sensitive measure of relative language strength. It also allows the evaluation of label accuracy, another indicator of language strength. The purposes of this study are to (i) further assess the HALA approach, (ii) assess Truku strength (vs. Mandarin) across age groups, and (iii) establish baseline data as a starting point for developing conservation programs. A total of sixty-eight participants in four age cohorts were tested (ages: 10-15, 16-25, 26-40, and 41-65). All were ethnic Truku. As predicted, Truku (non-dominant language) produced longer response times and lower accuracy than Mandarin (dominant language) across all speakers suggesting a cross-generational decline of Truku. Moreover, response time offers a more precise and superior measure of language access than accuracy does. Young adults and youth score equally well on vocabulary access in Truku, but the youth have slower response times-suggesting further decline and the need for urgent remedial action if Truku is to survive for another generation.

早期診斷語言轉移主要的困難之處，在於缺乏能測量語言強度的簡便工具，夏威夷語言強度評估標準（Hawai'i Assessment of Language Access, HALA）認為，雙語使用者對於兩種語言詞彙反應的速度（reaction time），是測量兩種語言使用強度一個直接的方式，於是本研究設計了身體部位的命名實驗（body-part naming task）來分析賽德克族太魯閣語/太魯閣語與中文雙語使用者的語言強度，這個實驗結果中的準確度（labeling accuracy），也提供了另一個評估語言強度的標準。本研究目的有三，第一、進一步衡量HALA的效用，第二、評估實驗各年齡組別對於太魯閣語、中文的語言使用強度，第三、以此基本結果來作為將來語言保存計畫的參考依據。本實驗共計68位受試者，分為10-15歲、16-25歲、26-40歲以及41-65歲四個群組，本研究預測，太魯閣語為弱勢語言，因此受試者命名實驗的反應時間會長於中文，其準確度也會低於中文。因為中文為一強勢語言，而結果確實一如預期，每一年齡層的群組都顯示這樣的趨勢，意味著每一年齡層的受試者都出現母語衰退的現象。此外，結果也顯示，反應時間比起準確度來說，是評估語言強度與語言轉移更好的方式，因為最年輕的兩個組別雖呈現相似的準確度，但最年輕組對於太魯閣語的反應時間明顯趨緩，因此本研究認為，太魯閣語本身衰退的現象持續進行，如果想要延續下一代對於太魯閣語的語言使用，語言補救的措施和政策絕對是刻不容緩。