具體描述
Tone and Intonation are two types of pitch variation, which are used by speakers of all languages in order to give shape to utterances. More specifically, tone encodes segments and morphemes, and intonation gives utterances a further discoursal meaning that is independent of the meanings of the words themselves. In this comprehensive survey, Carlos Gussenhoven provides an up-to-date overview of research into tone and intonation, discussing why speakers vary their pitch, what pitch variations mean, and how they are integrated into our grammars. He also explains why intonation in part appears to be universally understood, while at other times it is language-specific and can lead to misunderstandings. After eight chapters on general topics relating to pitch modulation, the book's central arguments are illustrated with comprehensive phonological descriptions - partly in Optimality Theory - of the tonal and intonational systems of six languages, including Japanese, Dutch, and English.
The Architectonics of Sound: Explorations in Suprasegmental Structure and Prosodic Boundaries A Comprehensive Monograph on the Interplay of Pitch, Stress, and Rhythm in Spoken Language This ambitious volume delves into the intricate architecture of speech beyond the discrete phoneme, focusing rigorously on the suprasegmental layer that shapes meaning, demarcates linguistic units, and characterizes individual utterance style. The Architectonics of Sound presents a unified theoretical framework for analyzing pitch variation, rhythmic organization, and the dynamic deployment of stress, synthesizing decades of research across various linguistic traditions. This work intentionally eschews the detailed analysis of lexical tone systems—the fixed pitch contours inherent to the syllable structure of languages like Mandarin or Yoruba—in favor of a deep dive into the phonology of intonation as it functions across phrases, clauses, and entire discourse segments in non-tonal and weakly-tonal languages, as well as the prosodic overlay on tone-bearing units in tonal contexts. Part I: Deconstructing the Suprasegmental Toolkit The opening section establishes the foundational concepts and methodologies necessary for rigorous prosodic analysis. We move beyond simplistic notions of "high" and "low" pitch to engage with the continuous nature of F0 contours and their realization relative to the speaker’s pitch range. Chapter 1: The Generative Foundations of Prosody: This chapter critiques extant feature geometry models of prosody, proposing a novel layered architecture where the phrase forms the crucial nexus between the syllable (segmental domain) and the utterance (discourse domain). Emphasis is placed on the distinction between nuclear, prenuclear, and boundary tones, illustrating how these elements interact to encode illocutionary force rather than just lexical identity. The limitations of purely autosegmental models when accounting for the temporal integration of stress and rhythm are critically examined. Chapter 2: Temporal Dynamics and Rhythmic Organization: Rhythm is treated not merely as an auditory phenomenon, but as a fundamental phonological parameter influencing speech timing. This section systematically compares stress-timed, syllable-timed, and mora-timed systems. A detailed acoustic analysis explores the concept of isochrony, examining how languages manipulate vowel reduction, consonant gemination, and metrical foot boundaries to maintain perceived temporal regularity. Specifically, we investigate languages where metrical feet (e.g., iambs or trochees) form the basic units for stress assignment, contrasting this with languages that utilize complex stress-timing metrics derived from perceptual studies rather than strict alignment rules. Chapter 3: The Phonetics and Phonology of Accentual Strength: Stress is analyzed across three dimensions: prominence (acoustic energy), domain (scope of influence), and predictability (lexical vs. pragmatic assignment). The chapter rigorously differentiates between dynamic stress (perceptually salient emphasis) and fixed stress (lexical assignment). We present comparative data illustrating how the placement of main stress can trigger complex alignment phenomena with adjacent morphemes, often overriding default prosodic attachment sites. The relationship between phrasal stress and the realization of boundary markers is explored in depth, particularly concerning the lengthening effects observed preceding major syntactic breaks. Part II: The Crucial Role of Boundaries and Phrasing The central argument of the volume posits that the delineation of prosodic phrases—the fundamental building blocks of intonation contours—is a more predictive mechanism for pitch realization than strict adherence to syntactic constituency alone. Chapter 4: Phrase Edges and Acoustic Correlates: This section meticulously catalogs the acoustic correlates of prosodic phrase boundaries, differentiating between weak, intermediate, and strong boundaries. Weak boundaries are characterized by slight pauses and minor F0 resetting, while strong boundaries involve significant terminal lengthening, complete pitch resets, and potential realization of final boundary tones. We introduce the concept of the Prosodic Span Unit (PSU), a psychologically motivated unit that often maps imperfectly onto the constituent structure derived from tree-based syntactic models. Evidence is drawn from crossover experiments demonstrating perceptual reliance on PSU markers for segmentation. Chapter 5: Intonational Scaffolding: Declarative vs. Interrogative Forms: Beyond the classic High-rise Terminal (HRT) for yes/no questions, this chapter dissects the sophisticated use of pitch contours to convey pragmatic nuance. We analyze declarative contours that employ a falling, sustained pitch trajectory (Level L or Fall-Rise patterns) to convey certainty or finality, contrasting them with wh-interrogative contours which often feature a sustained high pitch across the interrogative element followed by a sharp fall on the final lexical item. Special attention is paid to tag questions, where the mandatory pitch movement signals the speaker’s expectation of agreement or dissent, irrespective of the syntactic structure. Chapter 6: Discourse-Level Organization and Pitch Accents: The final analytical chapter addresses how prosody organizes extended speech. Pitch accents (local prominence markers) are shown to function as critical discourse markers, signaling topic shift, contrast, contrastive focus, and topic continuity. We investigate the realization of contrastive stress, demonstrating that the locus of accent shift is highly sensitive to the preceding context and the semantic domain being highlighted. The systematic use of upward or downward pitch movement to signal speaker commitment or epistemic distance is modeled using discourse representation structures that interface directly with the prosodic realization module. Part III: Methodological Considerations and Future Directions The concluding chapters shift focus toward advanced empirical techniques and the theoretical challenges that remain when modeling the dynamic nature of spoken language. Chapter 7: Experimental Paradigms for Prosodic Elicitation: This chapter reviews modern methodologies for isolating prosodic variables. It contrasts traditional read-aloud studies with more ecologically valid methods such as spontaneous dialogue analysis and dual-task paradigms designed to elicit specific pragmatic functions (e.g., contrast, correction, surprise). Detailed guidance is provided on advanced acoustic analysis software and spectral techniques necessary for reliably measuring F0 correlates, intensity fluctuations, and durational variability across speakers and interactional contexts. Chapter 8: Theoretical Synthesis and Unresolved Problems: The volume concludes by framing the current state of prosodic theory. It explicitly argues against monolithic unitary theories, advocating instead for a multi-component model where temporal organization, pitch movement, and stress assignment operate with semi-independent but heavily constrained phonological domains. Key areas for future research identified include the precise role of motor planning in pre-programming intonation contours and the cross-linguistic invariance (or variance) of perceptual weighting of acoustic cues when listeners assign pragmatic meaning. The Architectonics of Sound serves as an essential reference for phonologists, syntacticians interested in the interface, and advanced graduate students seeking a comprehensive, non-tonal-centric perspective on the physics and function of prosody in human communication.
