Wilbur R B, Allen G D
Department of Audiology and Speech Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
Lang Speech. 1991 Jan-Mar;34 ( Pt 1):27-46. doi: 10.1177/002383099103400102.
Syllables in spoken languages have been argued to have an internal structure which may cluster the consonants and vowels into subgroups. The most commonly used subgroups are the Onset (initial consonants) and Rhyme (vowel and remaining consonants), with the further possibility of dividing the Rhyme into Nucleus (the vowel and any on- or off-glides) and the Coda (the final consonants). Although linguistic debate continues about the exact formulation of such syllable models, the evidence is clear that listeners identify rhythmic beats at a particular point inside the syllable, namely at the release of the initial consonants into the following linguistically stressed vowels (referred to as the syllable peak, assumed to be part of the Nucleus). To determine whether such loci would be identified for syllables in American Sign Language, deaf native signers, hearing native signers, and hearing subjects unfamiliar with sign language were asked to tap to videotaped signed stimuli. Analysis of the tap locations in signed syllables revealed a relatively flat distribution across the syllable for all three groups and for individual subjects. The absence of syllable peak perception is discussed in relation to the motoric characteristics of sign production.
口语中的音节被认为具有一种内部结构，这种结构可能会将辅音和元音聚集成子组。最常用的子组是音节首（起始辅音）和韵（元音及剩余辅音），韵还有进一步细分为核（元音及任何元音前或元音后的滑音）和尾音（最后的辅音）的可能性。尽管关于此类音节模型的确切形式的语言学争论仍在继续，但有明确证据表明，听众会在音节内的特定点识别出节奏节拍，即在起始辅音释放到随后的语言重音元音时（称为音节峰值，假定为核的一部分）。为了确定美国手语中的音节是否也能识别出这样的位点，研究人员要求以手语为母语的聋人、以手语为母语的听力正常者以及不熟悉手语的听力受试者，根据录像的手语刺激进行敲击。对有手语的音节中敲击位置的分析表明，所有三组以及个体受试者在整个音节上的分布都相对均匀。文中结合手语产生的运动特征讨论了音节峰值感知缺失的情况。
