Voice Onset Time of Initial Stops in Mandarin and Hakka: Effect of Gender

Abstract

本研究檢視性別差異是否影響嗓音起始時間(voice onset time, VOT)。國語及客語字首塞音/p, t, k, ph, th, kh/，伴隨三種母音/i, u, a/的VOT值顯示性別差異對於VOT值有顯著影響。不送氣塞音方面，男性的平均VOT值比女性來的長，而女性的送氣塞音平均VOT值比男性長。此外，結果也指出，無論是客語還是國語，女性對於非送氣及送氣塞音分辨皆比男性清楚，也許是因為女性受試者比較小心注意自己的說話清晰度(Byrd 1992, 1994; Whiteside 1996)。本研究結果指出國語以及客語VOT值在性別上皆有顯著性差異。此結果建議爾後的研究，男性與女性受試者VOT資料應該分開處理。

This paper examines the influence of gender upon voice onset time (VOT). VOT values of word-initial stops /p, t, k, ph, th, kh/ followed by three vowels /i, u, a/ in both Mandarin and Hakka revealed that male speakers produced longer VOTs in unaspirated stops than their female counterparts, but women produced longer VOTs in aspirated stops than male counterparts. In addition, VOT distinction in unaspirated and aspirated stops was greater in female speakers than in male speakers in both languages, perhaps because women tend to have a more careful manner of speech than men (Byrd 1992, 1994; Whiteside 1996). Gender has a statistically significant influence on VOTs in both Mandarin and Hakka. It is thus suggested that VOT data from different genders should be analyzed separately.