中文斷詞初探

A Pilot Study of Words Segmentation in Chinese Reading

劉美君(Mei-Chun Liu)

《臺大華語文教學研究》 4期 (2016/08) Pp. 187-207

https://doi.org/10.6664/NTUTCSL.2016.08.187.06

摘要

在中文閱讀的歷程中，斷詞是一開始把詞(word)從句子提取出來的能力,然而中文在詞的定義上是一個複雜的議題，因為字和詞的界線並不明確，加上詞與詞之間缺乏空格作為邊界線索，這使得中文的斷詞歷程成為一個重要的研究議題。本研究採用Inhoff & Wu (2005)的框架測試兩種斷詞歷程的假設(Unidirectional parsing hypothesis和Multiple activation hypothesis)，這兩個相反的假設主要爭論的是中文的斷詞是線性地一個一個詞的提取(liner activation)還是多重激發(multiple activation)。研究透過15組在斷詞上有歧義設計的詞組，測量其歧義的部分是否造成閱讀時間的增加，以此來看中文的斷詞歷程是否如同英文一樣是以線性地進行，本研究的結果無法驗證Inhoff & Wu (2005)認為中文的閱讀是多重激發(multiple activation)的假設。

關鍵字

中文斷詞 ； 空格 ； 字優效應

並列摘要

In the process of reading Chinese text, the parsing of characters into words is the initial required ability. However, the issue of what constitutes a word in Chinese has been controversial due to the uncertainty of word boundaries and the lack of space between words in written Chinese. For these reasons, the study of Chinese word segmentation is a significant issue. This study adopts Inhoff & Wu's (2005) framework to test the ＂Unidirectional parsing hypothesis＂ and ＂Multiple activation hypothesis＂. The main controversy between these two contrary hypotheses is whether word parsing in Chinese is through linear activation or multiple activation. By measuring the RT from 15 sets of ambiguous conditions, we can determine whether or not ambiguity increases the cost of processing and whether or not words in Mandarin Chinese are activated unidirectionally like in English. The results of this study did not support Inhoff & Wu's (2005) hypothesis that word parsing in Mandarin Chinese is through multiple activation.

並列關鍵字

word parsing in Chinese ； space ； word superiority effect

參考文獻

Blythe, H. I., Liang, F., Zang, C., Wang, J., Yan, G., Bai, X., & Liversedge, S. P. (2012). Inserting spaces into Chinese text helps readers to learn new words: An eye movement study. Journal of Memory and Language, 67(2), 241-254.

Hong, T.-M. (2005). The Effect of the Interword Spacing in Chinese Texts Reading. (Master), National Chung Cheng University, Jiayi.

Inhoff, A. W. and C. Wu (2005). "Eye movements and the identification of spatially ambiguous words during Chinese sentence reading." Memory & Cognition 33(8), pp.1345-1356.

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