摘要
藏语的词重音现象相当复杂。一方面,藏语具有以音高凸显为标志的音高重音(pitch accent)语言的特征;另一方面,藏语又具有以音长和音色(音段变化与否)凸显为标志的重音(stress)语言或者说力度重音(stress accent)语言的特征。这两种特征甚至可以出现在同一个双音节词的范围内:力度重音方面表现为"前重",音高重音方面表现为"后重"(后高)。从现象层面上,这可简明地总结为"前重后高"。这两种重音现象都符合现代节律音系学的相对凸显(relative prominence)原则以及达顶性(culminativity)、分界性(demarcative)和节奏性(rhythmic)等属性。这种看似"矛盾"的一词双重音的现象,从韵律音系学的视角看,实际属于不同的韵律层级:音高重音属音步(foot)层面,而力度重音属韵律词(prosodic word)层面。前重后高现象既可上溯到原始藏语,也广泛见于现代藏语各方言中,成为藏语的一种共通的节律模式,并控制着有声调藏语方言的变调格局。
The word stress in the Tibetan language is rather complicated.On the one hand,it has the characteristics of the pitch accent language which is marked by the high pitch.On the other hand,it also has the characteristics of the stress language or stress accent language of which the prominence is indicated by duration and timbre(with or without segment change).In Tibetan,the syllabic words can have these two features at the same time:the left syllable has a stress accent,while the right one has a pitch accent.Therefore,both of the two syllables have a prominent feature which is in line with the properties of stress in metrical phonology like culminativity,demarcativity and rhythm.This phenomenon is summarized as the"Left Strength and Right Height".Nevertheless,the principle of Relative Prominence in metrical phonology stipulates that prominence is established on the relation between strong and weak constituents.If two syllables in a disyllabic unit are both defined as strong ones,the prominence relation will be logically untenable.The phenomenon of the"Left Strength and Right Height"thus poses a challenge to the stress realization and the phonological theories.In our analysis,the seemingly contradictory phenomenon of double stresses within a word belongs to the manifestations of prominence in different prosodic levels.Specifically,pitch accent belongs to the foot level,while stress or stress accent belongs to the prosodic word level.On the other hand,these two kinds of prominence are instantialized in different positions:the prominence in a foot is realized on the left edge,while that of a prosodic word is realized on the right edge.Meanwhile,the canonical foot and prosodic word in the Tibetan language are both disyllabic.That is,a disyllabic unit can be a foot and a prosodic word at the same time.As a consequence,there occurrs a superposition effect on the disyllabic units,which results in two different prominence instantializations.If two syllables in a prosodic unit both possess a stress of some kind,there will be a clash between them,even though they belong to different prosodic levels.However,these two types of stress have different phonetic representations(pitch accent vs.stress accent)and serve to represent different prosodic units(foot vs.prosodic word).Therefore,these two types of stress appear in different positions of a disyllabic unit and will not conflict with each other.The phenomenon of the"Left Strength and Right Height"is widely attested in various dialects of Modern Tibetan and can also be traced back to Ancient Tibetan and even Proto-Tibetan language.In modern Tibetan dialects with tone,the disyllabic units serve as the domain of tone sandhi.In the dialects without tones,the disyllabic units are also the carrier of the habitual pitch that is discussed extensively in the previous literature.In a word,this double-stress pattern can account for the tone sandhi of dialects with tone and the pitch behavior of those without tone.The discussions of the"Left Strength and Right Height"in this paper can also shed new light on the diachronic evolution of the stress system in the Tibetan language.On the one hand,the two types of stress are independent from each other and may have followed two different evolutionary routes.On the other hand,they are realized on the disyllabic unit at the same time and may influence each other in the historical development of the Tibetan language.In summary,the two types of stress run independently in the synchronic language system and also influence or compete with each other in the diachronic development of the language.All these remain to be explored in the future study.
作者
意西微萨·阿错
Yeshes Vodgsal Atshogs(School of Literature Nankai University)
出处
《韵律语法研究》
2020年第2期47-81,共35页
Studies in Prosodic Grammar
关键词
藏语
重音
音高重音
力度重音
韵律层级
前重后高
Tibetan
stress
pitch accent
stress accent
prosodic hierarchy
Left Strength and Right Height
作者简介
意西微萨·阿错,南开大学文学院,acuo@nankai.edu.cn
