A Study on Pronunciation Characteristics of Mandarin Vowels based on Ultrasound Tongue Image
10.3969/j.issn.1006-7299.2024.04.006
- VernacularTitle:基于超声动态舌形的普通话元音发音特点研究
- Author:
Yaxin TAN
1
;
Xiangrong SHEN
Author Information
1. 上海师范大学语言智能重点实验室(上海 200233)
- Keywords:
Mandarin;
Vowels;
Pinyin;
Pronunciation characteristic;
Ultrasound tongue image
- From:
Journal of Audiology and Speech Pathology
2024;32(4):317-321
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To accurately depict the actual tongue position of vowels in pinyin based on ultrasound tongue image(UTI),and accordingly propose targeted pronunciation training strategies to improve speech rehabili-tation and teaching quality.Methods Forty-five pieces of pronunciation material containing the six vowels a,o,e,i,u,ü(covering all the rhymes in Mandarin)were selected,and 16 subjects aged 20～25 years old with a proficien-cy level of Mandarin 2A or above were recruited to collect speech and ultrasonic data simultaneously.When process-ing the data,segmental labelling was first performed with Praat,then AAA was used to extract the coordinates of the tongue shape and palatal line of the target segments.Finally,the actual tongue positions of the six pinyin letters were determined based on articulatory tongue position comparison.Results Vowel a has[A]and[ε]2 types of tongue positions;o has[o]1 type of tongue position;e has[?],[e]and[?]3 types of tongue positions;i has[i],[(ι)]and[(ι)]3 types of tongue positions;u has[u]1 type of tongue position;and ü has[y]1 type of tongue posi-tion.A retroflex vowel is a vowel target tongue position followed by a tongue curl stroke.Conclusion ① The rhymes are classified into 11 categories,which allowing for a more accurate and systematic teaching.② The six vowel ultrasonic data provides a visual means for learning vowels,which is more intuitive than the traditional pinyin teaching.
