Prosody (linguistics)

Prosody is the sum of the phonetic characteristics of the language that are not tied to the volume or to the phoneme as a minimal segment, but on broader phonetic units. These include the following properties:

Different parts of this subject area are denoted by the colloquial expressions and tone of voice emphasis, but these are not terms.

How many terms of this kind called prosody both a section of the object area - ie the linguistic properties mentioned - as well as a sub-discipline of a scientific discipline - in this case the phonology and phonetics. Accordingly, prosody subject to both linguistics and phonetics.

• 3.2.1 pitch
• 3.2.2 Loudness

• 4.1 Linguistic and para functions of language
• 4.2 Correlation prosodic features
• 4.3 Resolution of ambiguities 4.3.1 Syntactic level
• 4.3.2 Lexical level
• 4.3.3 Pragmatic level
• 4.3.4 dialog level

• 5.1 A- prosody
• 5.2 B- prosody
• 5.3 C- prosody

Origin of the term

The term prosody ( prosody also outdated ) is a foreign word from ancient Greek. προσῳδία ( Prosodia ), which already meant the same thing. The roots are contained πρός ( pros ) " add " and ᾠδ ( OD ) " sing "; the basic meaning is thus about " adding vocals." The term was mainly related to the phonetically correct reading of poetry and also included the above mitaufgeführten tone. In the ancient Greek expression the Latin calque based accentus. However, since in Latin there is no sound in this sense, the term ' accentus ' was concentrated on the part of the prosody, the term refers also to the accent.

Suprasegmentals

Since the properties covered by prosody, just the have in common that they are based on a phonetic level "above" the segment, they are also called suprasegmentals ( suprasegmental features). Accordingly, we distinguish the segmental of the suprasegmental level. For example, are the German words Orbiting " [ something ] bring by contrast, driving to the case " and avoided " to [ something ] driving around " on the segmental level the same composition (and homograph ), but on which suprasegmental different (and therefore not homophones ); because the former has the accent on the first word, the latter, however, on the second syllable.

The suprasegmentals have the following in detail acoustic basis:

The terms are explained in the following section.

Prosodic, psychoacoustics, acoustic and written language features

The prosodic features (or subregions ) intonation, rhythm, and emphasis are described generally with psycho- acoustic features and acoustic, that is physically measurable features. In addition, there is a correlation of prosodic features with highlighting opportunities in the written language.

Prosody and acoustic

In acoustics the phenomena and characteristics of sound waves to be examined. Since speech based on acoustic transmission and a prosody of the voice, and prosodic features to be correlated with acoustic characteristics. Object of investigation is thus the speech signal. Acoustically measurable properties can be used in the automatic Prosodieerkennung, speaker recognition and speaker verification - the measured properties are then further processed into features for pattern recognition.

Fundamental frequency

The intonation of a language can be seen acoustically with the fundamental frequency ( Hertz is ) a voice describing (or the course of the fundamental frequency, the so-called fundamental frequency contours).

Duration

Prosodic features such as rhythm, duration, rate of speech, pauses, Gedehntheit etc. can be determined by measuring the length of time this signal sections or by the formation of mean values ​​(average speech rate ) measure. Often Phonemlängen are for example only incrementally determined and then syllable lengths. Since these lengths can vary from speaker to speaker, these lengths must be normalized.

Energy

Energy characteristics describe the sound intensity (in dB ) of a speech signal. In the pattern recognition, the instantaneous energy is often calculated on frame level, that the energy in a small segment of the speech signal. Using these energy characteristics can be detected, for example, whether a speech signal or a voice section contains only silence ( distinction between voiced and unvoiced ). In the Internet telephony VoIP as are sections which contain no voice, not even transferred to conserve bandwidth.

Prosody and psychoacoustics

In psychoacoustics, human perceptions are brought into comparison experiments with acoustic units in context.

Pitch

The pitch or the pitch describe the perceived pitch of a sound compared to a 1- kHz tone of a certain sound intensity. It is found in listening tests. The pitch is in a nonlinear relation to the frequency of a pitch. Up to 500 Hz on the Zwickerskala still a linear relationship exists, but then performs a doubling of the frequency of a pitch not to a doubling of perceived pitch. The unity of the pitch is mel. Correlating the changes in the pitch in the prosody with the intonation.

Loudness

Loudness correlates with the energy of the speech signal. The loudness is a sensation size, which is also found in listening tests. The unit of loudness is sone. A sone is defined as the perceived loudness of a sound event with a volume level of 40 phon; That is, a wide-band noise that is perceived as loud as a 1000 Hz sine wave at a sound pressure level of 40 dB SPL. Differences in the perceived loudness are often used in prosody for accenting.

Prosody and written language

In the written language typestyle correlate ( italic, bold, font size, font ) with the prosodic feature accent and the intonation, punctuation, with the rhythm and with breaks. This is also a linguistic break is inserted after a dot or a comma often. Also dashes, the insert part of a sentence, are often replaced by pauses in reading and read with a different intonation. Question mark or exclamation or question mark callsign sets and are also marked by special intonation at the end of the sentence.

Functions of prosody

Linguistic and para functions of language

A distinction between linguistic (for each language system related ) and paralinguistic ( other communicative ) functions of prosody. Whereas the purely linguistic functions include the following:

• Word accent and tone distinguish words in their meaning.
• The intonation can record types differ from each other, eg the declarative and interrogative in the Germans.
• Pauses, rhythm and intonation divide the speech into meaningful sections, including in syntactic units.
• Sentence stress, intonation and pauses encode the information structure of an utterance, in particular topic and focus. The sentence accent raises an expression over the set of adjacent protruding and serves to emphasis.

These functions are located on all linguistic levels between word and text. Therefore, the prosody can not be assigned to a particular grammatical level.

The para- linguistic functions of prosody can be systematized as follows:

• The speech melody / tone of voice gives expression emotions and also encodes irony.
• Languages ​​and varieties ( dialects, sociolects, registers) of a language differ in prosodic terms. Suprasegmentals characterize the speech of members of a language community similar to their sound system, their choice of words or other linguistic characteristics. Therefore, one can assign the speech of a person of such a variety on the basis of their.
• Since prosodic features are produced with the voice and the articulation apparatus and since these physiological properties are one person, they can be characterized (by gender, age, etc. ) and even identify.

On prosodic features such as the latter two it is based, for example, when we recognize someone on the phone. Also impersonators They take advantage of.

In the linguistic prosody play only relative differences, eg relative pitch at the end of Interrogativsatzes a role. In the paralinguistic prosody is also about absolute differences, eg the different fundamental frequency, with the talk of a boy and a man.

Correlation prosodic features

Prosodic properties such as changes in intonation in the volume and in the rhythm often occur synchronously individually place are so correlated. Thus, the emphasis of a word, for example, achieved by the intonation (or pitch) is changed, the speech rate is simultaneously reduced ( For example, in the inserted a pause before the word ) and the word with an increased volume is pronounced.

Resolution of ambiguities

In the language system suprasegmental features are as distinctive as segmental. Likewise, therefore, as two expressions - for example, does and dead - may differ merely in a segmental feature, they can also differ merely in a suprasegmental feature - like the already mentioned two verbs that are written avoid. Since the font prosody reflects only imperfectly, certain ambiguities can be written texts on different linguistic levels in oral reproduction dissolve the help of prosody.

Syntactic level

The words

• Erna is not but Erwin.

Corresponds to two different syntactic constructions, namely

A) Erna is coming, but not Erwin.

B ) Food does not come, but Erwin.

The two versions differ, inter alia, to that # a break coming up behind, # b, however, break behind does not have. In this case, the punctuation reflects the prosody.

The words

• The man saw the woman with the binoculars.

Corresponds to two different syntactic constructions, namely

A) the man saw [ the woman with the binoculars ] ( equipped with the binoculars Woman )

B ) the man saw [ the woman ] [ with binoculars ] ( he looked through binoculars )

These two versions are not even different in ordinary speech by prosody. But you can try to clarify Version # b by strong intonation break with break behind woman.

Lexical level

In addition to such pairs bypassed as the homo graph, but not homophonic verbs in German more like translate, insinuate, crowded, etc. (They are way only in some inflectional homograph, but not for example in the participle:. . ( Has ) translated vs. ferried ) In addition, there are homographs such as tenor, what " high-pitched male voice " means with accent on the first syllable, " content ", with the accent on the second, however.

Pragmatic level

• But that is cold here.

Depending on the pronunciation of the sentence can be indicated that it is only a statement about the temperature ( monotone voice ), a request to close a window (negative tone, emphasis on the word cold) or only complaint about these perceived negative condition, is not going to change. With a strong emphasis on the word " The " can also be meant ironically the statement. Thus, the function of a speech act can be better clarified.

Dialog level

On dialog level can be set or mark phrase boundaries so that dialogs can be divided into meaningful sections. So linguistic actions can be structured. Well-known information is thus deakzentuiert ( consistent intonation ), but accentuates important information.

Prosodieebenen

After Hans Günther Tillmann, a distinction between A-, B- and C- prosody.

A prosody

The A- prosody can be arbitrarily controlled by the speaker. Parameters of the A- prosody include the intonation, pauses and volume changes. With the help of A- prosody set the intention for example, be transmitted and set accents. Furthermore, it serves the resolution of syntactic and lexical ambiguities. The emotions and the physical condition of the speaker can be transmitted by A- prosody.

Language from which you removed the A- prosody is generally perceived as a computer voice.

B- prosody

The B- prosody is produced involuntarily and denotes the native language syllable own rhythm. It controls the sequence of voiced and unvoiced sections. The B- prosody, we recognize a signal as speech.

C- prosody

The C- prosody refers to the intrinsic dynamic structure of speech sounds, that is, for example, the correct transitions between adjacent sounds, the sequence of break, burst and aspiration in plosives or the interaction of voiced excitation and friction in voiced fricatives.

Mikroprosodie

Mikroprosodie the considered variations in the speech signal, such as jitter and shimmer. These fluctuations are found mainly in noisy speech signals. In medicine, let alone from the measurement of the jitter and shimmer of the conclusions on the existence of revenge diseases or laryngitis include (for example laryngeal cancer at an early stage).

Versification

The prosody ( metric ) Prosody refers to the weight of syllable, that is, the time period or the melodic (pitch) or dynamic (volume) accent of syllables.

Music

In music, the ratio of the word is referred to the sound with prosody: the emphasis of word or Versakzenten by musical devices such as rhythm (duration) and stroke.