Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 603 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820, USA.
Mem Cognit. 2010 Dec;38(8):1137-46. doi: 10.3758/MC.38.8.1137.
The repetition and the predictability of a word in a conversation are two factors that are believed to affect whether it is emphasized: predictable, repeated words are less acoustically prominent than unpredictable, new words. However, because predictability and repetition are correlated, it is unclear whether speakers lengthen unpredictable words to facilitate comprehension or whether this lengthening is the result of difficulties in accessing a new (nonrepeated) lexical item. In this study, we investigated the relationship between acoustic prominence, repetition, and predictability in a description task. In Experiment 1, we found that repeated referents are produced with reduced prominence, even when these referents are unexpected. In Experiment 2, we found that predictability and repetition both have independent effects on duration and intensity. However, word duration was primarily determined by repetition, and intensity was primarily determined by predictability. The results are most consistent with an account in which multiple cognitive factors influence the acoustic prominence of a word.
在会话中，一个词的重复和可预测性被认为是影响其是否被强调的两个因素：可预测的、重复的词的声学显著性低于不可预测的、新的词。然而，由于可预测性和重复性是相关的，所以不清楚说话者是否会延长不可预测的词来帮助理解，或者这种延长是否是由于难以获取新的（非重复的）词汇项造成的。在这项研究中，我们在描述任务中调查了声学显著性、重复和可预测性之间的关系。在实验 1 中，我们发现即使是意料之外的重复指称也会产生降低的显著性。在实验 2 中，我们发现可预测性和重复性都对时长和强度有独立的影响。然而，词的时长主要由重复决定，而强度主要由可预测性决定。结果与一个观点最一致，即多个认知因素影响词的声学显著性。
