Module 11 - Suprasegmentals

Question 1

Prosody

Answer 1

Refers to all of the linguistic properties that exceed the segment level

Question 2

Suprasegmentals

Answer 2

Includes both linguistic prosody and paralinguistic (nongrammatical) influences

Question 3

Features of speech that affect an utterance beyond the phonetic and allophonic features

Answer 3

Prosody

1. Intonation (pitch, stress, rhythm)
2. Loudness variations (amplitude)
3. Timing (pausing)

PARALINGUISTICS

1. Vocal quality
   - hoarse, breathy, hyper or hyponasal
2. Speaking style (vocal adjustments) may change according to setting
3. Emotion
   -sad, angry, fear, joy

Question 4

Pitch

Answer 4

perceptual property

Varies along perceptual dimension of high to low

Closely related to the frequency of vocal fold vibration during phonation

Question 5

Loudness

Answer 5

Perceived magnitude or strength of the speech signal

Varies along continuum of weak (soft) to strong (loud)

Acoustic property of intensity

Question 6

Duration

Answer 6

Length of the speech unit

Differences influences perception of rhythm or tempo of speech

Question 7

syllables and stress

Answer 7

A syllable contains a vowel with or without surrounding consonants

• 1 syllable words - a, it, run, stop, scrap
• multi-syllabic words - how many syllables in each?

Masquerade -3
Dictionary - 4
Multiplication - 5
Halloween - 3

Question 8

What is a syllable?

Answer 8

A syllable can best be defined by its internal structure: onset + rhyme

Question 9

Onset

Answer 9

Consists of all the consonants that precede a vowel (fun, stop, splash, sunshine)

Some syllables have no onset (i.e. they begin with vowels

e.g. each, up, under (first syllable in under)

Question 10

Rhyme

Answer 10

Consists of the nucleus + coda

Nucleus - vowel

Coda - consonant (s) + is optional

• some syllables have no coda (no, see, coda)

Question 11

Syllable Consonants

Answer 11

Syllabic consonants - when a syllable has no vowel and the consonant assumes the nucleus role

e.g. muscle, button, table

Question 12

Open Syllables

Answer 12

end with a vowel (no coda)

e.g. three, maybe

Question 13

Closed syllables

Answer 13

syllables end with coda (end with a consonant)

Question 14

Syllable Stress - degrees of stress

Answer 14

IPA recognizes primary, secondary, and tertiary stress

Two different ways to notate:

Traditional: [‘jɛ,lo] superior vertical stroke primary stress and lower vertical stroke secondary stress

Newer (Shriberg and ent and Pepperfont):

[jɛlo] small numbers 1 and 2 above vowels (1 above ɛ and 2 above o)

Question 15

Listening for stress

Answer 15

The development of good listening skills is crucial to the mastery of syllable stress

General Rules:

• monosyllabic words: always stressed

e.g. cup, steak, round

• These vowels appear in unstressed syllables: /ə ɚ/
• both syllables receive primary stress = spondaic stress (usually compound words)

e.g. hotdog, baseball, greenhouse

Question 16

Intonation

Answer 16

Pattern or melody of pitch changes in an utterance

1. Rhythm - helps us process the info
2. Pitch changes - how we identify linguistic units

Question 17

Stress

Answer 17

Degree of prominence or emphasis associated with a particular syllable in a word or with a word in a phrase, clause, or sentence

Question 17

Stress perception is related to:

Answer 17

1. Fundamental frequency (increased stress - elevated pitch)
2. Intensity (increased stress - increased intensity)
3. Duration (increased stress - longer duration)

Question 18

Facts about stress

Answer 18

• can alter vowel and consonant articulation
• stressed syllables - articulatory movements are larger
• stressed syllables have longer durations

Question 19

Lexical Stress

Answer 19

• stress pattern intrinsic to a word
• noun vs. verb forms

e.g. record, object, project, address

Stress placed on the first syllable - noun

Stress placed on the second syllable - verb

Question 20

Lexical Stress

Answer 20

Nouns:

[‘r ɜ ,k ɔ r d]

[‘p r o ,t ɛ s t]

[‘ɪ n ,k l aɪ n]

Verbs:

[,r ɛ ‘k ɔ r d]

[,p r o ‘t ɛ s t]

[,ɪ n ‘k l aɪ n]

Question 21

Rhythm

Answer 21

Distribution of events over time

Question 22

Timing - tempo

Answer 22

Tempo - the speed at which a piece is or should be played

Question 23

Timing - juncture

Answer 23

Pause

the sound of silence

Question 24

Timing - boundary or edge effects

Answer 24

phonologic of phonetic characteristics that appear at the margins of the linguistic unit, especially a phrase

Question 25

Paralinguistics

Answer 25

Emotional state - expressed in our voices

Vocal Quality - main factor in how we identify a person’s voice

Question 26

Prosodic Variations

Answer 26

Motherese, Fatherese, Parentese - infant directed speech

Higher pitch
Exaggerated intonation
increased repetition

Question 27

Prosodic Variations - clear speech

Answer 27

When you want to be understood in less than favorable listening situations

Characterized by:

greater pitch variation and slower rate

accompanied by changes in articulatory properties such as stronger releases for stop consonants + increasing movements for vowels

Contrasted with conversational speech

Question 28

Prosodic variation examples

Answer 28

“Therapy Voice”
Situational differences

Question 30

Clinical Aspects

Answer 30

Clinically assessing suprasegmentals

1. Prosody profile (PROP)
2. Prosody Voice Screening Profile (PVSP)

Question 31

Coarticulation

Answer 31

The production of sound is influenced by all the other sounds around it

Each sound slightly changes according to its environment

sounds take on qualities of other sounds that precede or follow them

articulators either anticipate the next sound or carryover qualities from the previous sound