馬達加斯加語母語者對普通話陽平和上聲的感知與產出

Perception and Production of Tone 2 and Tone 3 by Malagasy Mandarin Learners

本文基於範疇感知實驗與語音聲學實驗，考察了馬達加斯加語母語者對普通話陽平與上聲的感知與產出情況。在範疇感知實驗中，針對陽平與上聲分別進行了辨認實驗與區辨實驗，透過一系列數據參數（如邊界位置丶辨認率與感知範圍）探討學習者對音高變化的敏感度。研究發現，不同的語音環境因素（如實驗字的位置與相鄰聲調類型）共同影響學習者的聽覺感知；此外，學習者對陽平與上聲的感知未顯示出範疇化的模式。在聲學實驗部分，本文比較了在不同語音環境下學習者對陽平與上聲的區分能力及其音高實現所受的影響。整體而言，感知實驗與聲學結果呈現出一定的一致性，同時也掲示了感知與產出之間的差異。學習者在聲學上的表現優於其感知能力，但兩者均在不同程度上受到陽平與上聲的語音位置及相鄰聲調類別的影響。此外，學習者的聲調表現亦反映出其母語經驗的作用，其中對「陰平/去聲+上聲」組合的區分與產出能力相對理想。本研究填補了馬達加斯加語母語者在普通話聲調感知方面的研究空白，亦為普通話教學特別是上聲的教學提供了新的見解。

This study investigates the perception and production of Mandarin Tone 2 and Tone 3 by Malagasy learners, based on categorical perception experiments and phonetic acoustic analysis. In the categorical perception experiments, both identification and discrimination tasks were conducted for tone combinations. Using a range of parameters (e.g., boundary position, identification rate, and perceptual range), the study examined learners’sensitivity to pitch. The results revealed that various phonetic environments—specifically, word position and adjacent tone categories—significantly influenced learners’auditory perception. Notably, their perception of Tone 2 and Tone 3 did not display a categorical pattern. In the acoustic experiments, production tasks were used to compare learners’ability to distinguish the two tones and to assess how their pitch realizations were affected by different phonetic contexts. The findings showed both consistencies and discrepancies between perception and production. Learners’acoustic performance was generally more accurate than their perceptual performance, although both were affected to varying degrees by the position of Tone 2 and Tone 3 as well as by neighboring tone categories. Additionally, learners’tonal performance reflected the influence of their first language. For example, they demonstrated relatively strong performance in distinguishing and producing tone combinations such as Tone 1/Tone 4 followed by Tone 3. This study fills a gap in the literature on Mandarin tone perception among Malagasy learners and provides new insights into the instruction of Tone 3 for learners of Mandarin.