Speech Acoustics: Chapter 7 Prosody, Stress, and Intonation Study Guide | Quizlet

Suprasegmental features

Aspects of speech that extend beyond individual phonemes, influencing the overall meaning and emotional tone of spoken language.

What are the four key components of suprasegmental features?

Stress, intonation, duration, and juncture.

What is the primary unit of stress in speech?

The syllable.

Lexical stress

Stress placed on syllables that can change the meaning of words (e.g., 'permit' as a noun vs. 'permit' as a verb).

Contrastive stress

Stress used to emphasize specific words to convey different meanings (e.g., 'I want ICED coffee instead of HOT coffee').

Sentence stress

Stress that highlights the most important words in a sentence, typically content words that carry the main meaning.

What are the three primary acoustic characteristics of stressed syllables?

Higher fundamental frequency ($f_0$), increased intensity, and greater duration.

What causes the high fundamental frequency ($f_0$) in stressed syllables?

Increased tension on the vocal folds, which significantly affects the perceived pitch of the syllable.

How do greater intensity and duration affect stressed syllables?

They enhance the prominence of stressed syllables in speech, making them more noticeable to listeners.

Intonation

The variation in pitch across speech that conveys differences in meaning and emotional attitudes, influencing how statements are interpreted.

What communicative function is typically signaled by a rising intonation pattern?

Yes-no questions, reciting lists, and indicating uncertainty or incompleteness.

In which speech contexts is rise-fall intonation typically used?

Declarative statements, commands, and Wh-questions, where it adds emphasis and clarity.

Intrinsic duration

The inherent length or duration of different speech sounds independent of phonetic context.

How does the intrinsic duration of diphthongs compare to that of monophthongs?

Diphthongs are intrinsically longer in duration than monophthongs.

How does the intrinsic duration of tense vowels compare to lax vowels?

Tense vowels are intrinsically longer than lax vowels.

How do continuant consonants compare to stop consonants in duration?

Continuant consonants (e.g., fricatives, nasals) tend to have longer durations compared to stop consonants.

How does voicing in following consonants affect vowel duration?

Vowels before voiced consonants and in open syllables are typically longer (e.g., 'lose' vs. 'loose').

Phrase-final (pre-pausal) lengthening

Lengthening of sounds that occurs at the ends of phrases and sentences, which aids in speech clarity.

Juncture

The linking of syllables and words in connected speech that affects how phrases are understood.

External juncture

Pauses that separate larger units of speech, represented in writing by punctuation such as commas or periods.

Internal juncture

The temporal linking and pauses that occur between words and syllables within phrases.

What minimal pair illustrates how improper juncture can cause 'peace talks' to be misunderstood?

'Pea stalks.'

What phrase demonstrates a juncture distinction with 'ice cream'?

'I scream.'

Motherese (infant-directed speech)

A modified speech style characterized by exaggerated intonation, slower tempo, and clearer articulation.

How does 'motherese' facilitate language acquisition in infants?

It captures infants' attention, promotes engagement, and may enhance their ability to discern phonetic patterns to develop language skills more effectively.