美国 Scicon R&D 语音合成软件 SynthWorks

摘要 · 中文整理：元音合并的产出通常以连续的声学量度来刻画，而音位感知的测量方法往往较为粗糙，这使得对进行中的合并现象难以在产出与感知之间做直接比较。本研究在二维共振峰空间（F1×F2）中实施感知实验，从而可以与产出数据在同一坐标系内统一绘图、量化并做统计。研究对 20 名说话人考察了太平洋西北部英语中一项由两部分构成的进行中软腭前合并：中前元音 /ɛ, e/ 在浊软腭音 /ɡ/ 前趋近或合并（leg–vague 合并），低前元音 /æɡ/ 则向其抬升（bag 抬升）。分布以核密度图可视化，重叠程度以 Pillai 分数以及线性判别分析模型给出的混淆矩阵加以量化。结果表明，leg–vague 合并在感知上被判定得比实际产出更为彻底（无论在样本内还是在言语社区层面），而 bag 抬升在产出上高度多变，在感知上却被拒斥。产出与感知的关系随年龄而异：在两代人之间，抬升与合并在产出上推进而在感知上并未推进；更年轻的成年人则在感知上接受 leg–vague 合并却并不这样产出，同时其（极弱的）抬升感知与 bag 抬升产出均存在个体差异。因此，软腭前抬升/合并可能在某些社会群体中正在推进，而在另一些群体中正在逆转。

原文摘要：Vowel merger production is quantified with gradient acoustic measures, while phonemic perception methods are often coarser, complicating comparisons within mergers in progress. This study implements a perception experiment in two-dimensional formant space (F1 × F2), allowing unified plotting, quantification, and statistics with production data. Production and perception are compared within 20 speakers for a two-part prevelar merger in progress in Pacific Northwest English, where mid-front /ɛ, e/ approximate or merge before voiced velar /ɡ/ (leg–vague merger), and low-front prevelar /æɡ/ raises toward them (bag-raising). Distributions are visualized with kernel density plots and overlap quantified with Pillai scores and confusion matrices from linear discriminant analysis models. Results suggest that leg–vague merger is perceived as more complete than it is produced (in both the sample and community), while bag-raising is highly variable in production but rejected in perception. Relationships between production and perception varied by age, with raising and merger progressing across two generations in production but not perception, followed by younger adults perceiving leg–vague merger but not producing it and varying in (minimal) raising perception while varying in bag-raising in production. Thus, prevelar raising/merger may be progressing among some social groups but reversing in others.

关键词：软腭前元音合并、太平洋西北部英语、合并感知、进行中的音变

研究目标：解决元音合并研究中产出测量为连续声学量、而感知测量多为粗糙范畴判断，导致二者难以直接比较的方法学问题，并据此检验太平洋西北地区英语软腭前位合并（leg–vague合并与bag抬升）在产出与感知上的进展是否同步。

主要结论：在二维共振峰空间中统一比较后发现，leg–vague合并在感知上比在产出上更为彻底；bag抬升在产出中变异极大，但在感知中被听者拒绝。产出与感知的关系随年龄分层而变化，说明该软腭前位抬升/合并在部分社会群体中仍在推进，而在另一些群体中可能正在逆转。

创新点：提出并实现了在F1×F2二维共振峰平面上开展感知实验的方法：用SynthWorks合成覆盖前元音区域的等间距共振峰网格刺激，使听辨反应可以像产出数据一样被绘制、用Pillai分数量化并做统计，从而首次让同一批说话人的产出与感知在同一度量体系中直接比较；同时引入线性判别分析混淆矩阵与自举置信区间来刻画合并程度。

后续建议：扩大样本量并在更多年龄层、社会阶层与地域中重复该二维感知范式，以提升群体层面结论的稳健性；在合成刺激中引入共振峰动态轨迹与时长变化，检验稳态刺激之外的动态线索对合并感知的影响；将同样的二维感知范式推广到其他元音合并（如pin–pen、cot–caught）以验证方法的普适性；增加反应时与眼动等在线加工指标，区分范畴判断结果与加工难度；采用纵向追踪设计，直接观察同一批说话人产出与感知随时间的共变关系

APA 引文：Freeman, V. (2023). Production and perception of prevelar merger: Two-dimensional comparisons using Pillai scores and confusion matrices. Journal of Phonetics, 97, 101213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wocn.2023.101213

仪器引用：Stimuli were created at a sampling rate of 11,025 Hz in SynthWorks (Scicon R&D, 2004), a Klatt-based synthesizer (Klatt, 1980), on a Mac desktop computer. Each stimulus began with a synthesized /b/ consisting of a 10-ms release and 40-ms voiced transition to the 120-ms steady-state vowel. Thus, the total duration for each stimulus was 170 ms.

仪器引用：Purely synthetic stimuli were created to control all parameters of the signal and isolate the effects of a static F1 and F2... Stimuli were created at a sampling rate of 11,025 Hz in SynthWorks (Scicon R&D, 2004), a Klatt-based synthesizer (Klatt, 1980), on a Mac desktop computer. ... Participants were seated in a sound-attenuated booth at a computer screen with circumaural headphones and an ioLab Systems button response box. PsychoPy was used to present stimuli and collect responses.