語音學 phonetics

 語音學 phonetics

● 字源

phonetics 來自希臘文 phōnē(聲音)和 phōnētikos(有關聲音的),經新拉丁文 phoneticus 進入英語,十九世紀起成為學科名稱。phonetics 研究語音的發音、傳播與聽辨,phonology(音系學)則研究語音在語言系統中的功能。中文「語音學」有時也泛稱「聲學」,要看上下文。

● 例句(70 字)

Although nineteenth-century grammarians, relying on spelling, described English in their schoolbooks as having only five vowels, Alexander Melville Bell, who taught elocution in Edinburgh before emigrating to North America, showed that speech sounds of any language could be written by symbols representing the positions of the tongue and lips, a method that later phoneticians, valuing articulatory description, understood as a precise scientific notation, not mere spelling bound to one language.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although nineteenth-century grammarians,

relying on spelling,

described English in their schoolbooks

as having only five vowels,

Alexander Melville Bell,

who taught elocution in Edinburgh

before emigrating to North America,

showed that speech sounds of any language

could be written by symbols

representing the positions of the tongue and lips,

a method

that later phoneticians,

valuing articulatory description,

understood as a precise scientific notation,

not mere spelling bound to one language.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Nineteenth-century grammarians relied on spelling.

(relying on 是分詞構句,表示方式或依據。)

They described English in their schoolbooks as having only five vowels.

(describe A as B:把 A 描述為 B;as 後接動名詞 having。)

Bell taught elocution in Edinburgh.

(who 子句;elocution 指演說術。)

Bell emigrated to North America afterwards.

(before emigrating 表示「在移居之前」,所以教書在前,移居在後。)

Bell showed something.

(主句骨架;showed 後接 that 子句。)

Speech sounds of any language could be written by symbols.

(被動語態;of any language 修飾 speech sounds。)

The symbols represented the positions of the tongue and lips.

(representing 是現在分詞,修飾 symbols。)

This was a method.

(a method 是同位語,回指前面整個「用符號寫語音」的做法。)

Later phoneticians valued articulatory description.

(valuing 分詞構句,表示原因:因為重視發音描述。)

They understood the method as a precise scientific notation.

(understand A as B;precise 與 scientific 並列修飾 notation。)

They did not understand the method as mere spelling bound to one language.

(not 前省略 as;bound to one language 是過去分詞片語,修飾 spelling。)

● 文法解析

Although 讓步子句 + 主句對比:

Although 子句到 vowels 結束,骨架是 grammarians described English。逗號後的 Alexander Melville Bell 才是主句主詞,要讀到 showed 才找到謂語。

relying 分詞構句插入:

relying on spelling 夾在主詞 grammarians 與謂語 described 之間,說明依據。跳過它,骨架就是 grammarians described English。

as having 結構:

described ... as having only five vowels 中,as 接動名詞,不能寫成 as have。only 修飾 five vowels,帶有「僅僅」的批評語氣。

who 關係子句插入:

who taught ... before emigrating to North America 夾在 Bell 與 showed 之間,是整句最長的干擾段。before 後的 emigrating 是動名詞,省略了主詞 he。

showed that 子句:

that 子句的骨架是 speech sounds could be written by symbols。of any language 修飾 sounds,不是修飾 symbols。

representing 分詞修飾:

representing the positions of the tongue and lips 修飾 symbols,等於 which represent ...。of 接 the tongue and lips,說明「位置」屬於哪些器官。

a method 同位語 + that 關係子句:

a method 指前面整個「用符號寫語音」的做法。that later phoneticians ... understood 的 that 是 understood 的受詞,還原語序為 later phoneticians understood (that method) as ...。

valuing 分詞構句再插入:

valuing articulatory description 夾在 phoneticians 與 understood 之間,表示原因。

省略與對比:

not mere spelling bound to one language 前省略 as,完整是 as a precise scientific notation, not (as) mere spelling bound to one language。

時態安排:

described / taught / showed / understood 全為過去式,敘述學說史。could 是 can 的過去形,表示當時證明了「可能性」。

● 參考譯文

雖然十九世紀的文法學者憑藉拼寫,在教科書中把英語描述為只有五個母音,但曾在愛丁堡教授演說術、後來移居北美的貝爾卻指出,任何語言的語音都可以用符號來書寫,這些符號表示舌與唇的位置。後來的語音學者重視發音描述,把這種方法理解為精確的科學記音法,而不是受限於單一語言的拼寫。

● 補充說明

史實對照:

Alexander Melville Bell 的《可視語音》(Visible Speech,1867)用符號圖示發音器官的位置。他的兒子是電話發明者 Alexander Graham Bell。國際音標(IPA)創立於 1886 年,主要採用拉丁字母,並未直接沿用貝爾的符號。不過貝爾的發音描述法影響了 Henry Sweet 等後來的語音學者。

譯名提醒:

articulatory phonetics 譯「發音語音學」,acoustic phonetics 譯「聲學語音學」,auditory phonetics 譯「聽覺語音學」。notation 在此譯「記音法」,與 orthography(正字法)不同。

核心字彙:

phonetics(語音學)、vowel(母音)、elocution(演說術)、symbol(符號)、articulatory(發音的)、notation(記音法)、spelling(拼寫)、emigrate(移居外地)。

字數:

我逐字計數,全句剛好 70 字(nineteenth-century 算一字)。

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