華語Half-T3 First三聲教學之實證研究

An Empirical Study on Teaching Half-T3 First in L2 Mandarin

本文研究華語聲調的教授和學習，並著重關注第三聲（T3）的教學議題。此議題是由對T3默認形式的不同理論假設發展而來的：傳統教學方法認為full-T3（下沉輪廓，音高標示為[214]）是標準形式；而新創教法則以half-T3（低頻，[21]）作為標準形式。由於目前沒有實驗研究驗證此兩種教學方法的效果，因此本研究進行了教學實驗研究來比較這兩種教學方法，並從中找出對第二語言學習者更有利的一種。本研究測試32位母語為無聲調的參與者，以兩階段的語言產出測試（立即後測和延遲後測）來評估參與者T3的表現。結果顯示，Half-T3 First（HT3F）的教學方法普遍提高了L2學習者在多數聲調組合中的三聲正確率。然而，在T3-T3的組合裡，硏究參與者在第一音節三聲的正確率明顯消退，且第二音節三聲的表現不佳。此出乎意料的結果可歸因於優選理論（Optimality Theory）的忠實性原則（Principle of Faithfulness），而這則表示HT3F仍須考慮是否違反重要語音約束（Constraint）。

This study investigates the teaching and learning of Mandarin Chinese tones, with a specific focus on pedagogical aspects related to the third tone (T3), which are developed from different theoretical assumptions concerning the default form of T3. The traditional teaching method asserts that the full-T3 (with a dipping contour, [214]) is the standard form, while the innovative approach posits the half-T3 (with a low falling contour, [21]) as the standard. Since no experimental study has examined the impact of these two teaching methods, a training study was conducted to compare their effectiveness and determine which one might be more beneficial for L2 learners. Thirty-two non-tonal speakers participated in this study and a two-stage production test (comprising an immediate posttest and a delayed posttest) was employed to assess the participants’T3 performance. The findings indicate that the Half-T3 First (HT3F) teaching method generally enhances the tone production skill of L2 learners across most tone combinations. However, in the case of the T3-T3 combination, a significant decrease in pre-T3 accuracy and subpar performance in phrase-final T3 were observed. This unexpected outcome was attributed to the general principle of faithfulness within the framework of Optimality Theory, suggesting that the HT3F may encounter constraint violations.