Project D5
3rd Phase - Tonal structure and information structure: Phonetics & Phonology
The main goal of this project is the analysis of the interaction between information structure and tonal structure and its phonetic realization. In the first phase of the project we found that information structure affects the pitch register. The language comparison of German and Akan showed that both intonation languages and tone languages show pitch register effects, though each in a language specific way. While contrastive focus is expressed by means of a raised pitch register in German, in Akan it is lowered. Based on this finding the goals of the second phase of the project are (i) a phonological analysis of pitch register as an autonomous autosegmental layer, (ii) an experimentally based analysis of the interaction of downstep, phrasing and information structure, and (iii) an integration of the effect of information structure into the model of pitch register. The goal is to identify the language specific reflexes of focus. The analysis will be based on the phonetic cues F0 and duration where duration functions as an indicator of phrasing and of prominence. We base our investigation on a comparison of tone languages (Akan, a level tone language, Mandarin Chinese, a contour tone language), an intonation language (German), and a pitch accent language (Swedish).
In the first phase of the project we also observed structural differences between entities of information structure. In German, information focus and corrective focus differ gradually in their prosodic expression. In Akan, no prosodic distinction between wide information and narrow information focus is expressed, while corrective focus differs significantly. For Mandarin Chinese, contrast of assertion and contrast of presupposition seem to be prosodically distinct. All these findings suggest that the concept of contrast may be prosodically realised differently across languages, and more over, other aspects such as the expectations of a speaker or interlocutor may play a role for the prosodic expression of focus. To test this in a language comparison, we will conduct a series of production and perception experiments which are equivalent for different languages.
This project also provides phonetic service for other projects in the SFB that deal with the prosodic expression of information structure.
2nd Phase - Tonal structure and information structure: Phonetics & Phonology
The project analyzes the interaction of information structure and the tonal structure and its phonetic realization. Three goals are set. The first goal is the experimentally assured acoustic analysis of prominence realization in different languages. The parameters which will be examined are duration and F0. We want to identify inherent tonal properties and language specific prominence marking strategies (§ 3.4.1.1). The analysis is grounded on the comparison between intonation, pitch-accent and tone languages, initially German, Swedish and Akan will be compared (see § 3.4.2.1 for the motivation of choice). As a second goal we want to test the interaction of the phonetic parameters duration, vertical F0 adjustment and horizontal F0 adjustment, viz. we try to answer the question, to what extent F0 and duration correlate with each other or not (§ 3.4.1.2). As for the third goal we want to explore the influence of the pitch range as the case may be pitch register on the prominence to separate paralinguistic from purely linguistic effects (§ 3.4.1.3). In addition the project offers two service functions (§ 3.4.1.4): Firstly, we want to provide a toolkit for the prosodic analysis of tonal structures on the basis of the insight of the three project goals. Secondly, the project will assist the SFB projects with instructions and support with regard to prosodic analysis of speech data. Thereby, tutorials concerning analyzing prosody and scripting with Praat will be provided.
In this project we tie in with the first phase of the SFB 632: The phonology is not defining the information structural concepts, but the phonology and the phonetics offer cues how listeners can identify new/old, focused/topicalized elements in the sentence (Féry 2007). The means of expressing prominence enhance understanding and simplify the processing. We follow the assumption of Focus-Prominence-Theory (inter alia Truckenbrodt 1995, Selkirk 2004, Samek-Lodovici 2005) that the information structure (focus) is affecting the prominence realization. The means of expression, thus the phonological and phonetic realization is language specific and can cover one or more factors (Selkirk 2004). In this project we focus on the tonal structure, viz. the phonological tonal structure and examine the phonetic implementation of this structure.
The methodology of this project covers four domains: (i) the collection of material for production studies for the language comparison; (ii) the phonological analysis of the production data; (iii) the acoustic analysis of the single phonological categories (tones); and (iv) the systematic survey of the perceptual relevance of the observed acoustic features. Speech data will be collected in different information structural contexts and tonal properties will be analyzed in the frame of the Autosegmental-Metrical phonology of intonation as the case may be tone (see Gussenhoven 2004).
The phonetic analysis in detail is based on the model of Pitch-Accent- Realization (see Kügler 2005) (§ 3.3.2). Language comparison may show subtle differences (see Atterer and Ladd 2004). Through the findings we will provide hypotheses for the survey of the perceptual relevance of the acoustic features.
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Principal Investigators
- Dr. Frank Kügler
Former Staff Members
- Dr. Susanne Genzel
Student Assistants
- Rike Schlüter
- Anne Schumacher
Activities
| June 2015 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Pitch register reset and embedded clauses in Akan. | Talk, Workshop on Morphosyntactic Triggers of Tone: New Data and Theories, Universität Leipzig | ||
| May 2015 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Phonological phrasing and ATR vowel harmony in Akan. | Forschungskolloquium, Institut für Afrikanistik und Ägyptologie, Universität Köln | ||
| May 2015 | Talk | Kügler, F.: The prosodic expression of focus - Between language-specifity and cross-linguistic similarities. | Final Conference of the SFB 632 `Information Structure': Advances in Information Structure Research 2003 - 2015, Berlin | ||
| May 2015 | Poster | Groeben, L., Simek, R. & Kügler, F.: Stress shift and NSR in Czech. | Final Conference of the SFB 632 `Information Structure': Advances in Information Structure Research 2003 - 2015, Berlin | ||
| March 2015 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Focal lowering in German interrogatives. | DGfS 2015, AG 6 'The prosody and meaning of (non-) canonical questions across languages', Leipzig | ||
| December 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Information structure - basic concepts and its realization in a cross-linguistic perspective. | Invited talk at the workshop "Theoretical and Empirical Perspectives on the Interrelation of Syntax, Semantics and Prosody", Universität Köln. | ||
| November 2014 | Talk | Li, Q. & Kügler, F.: Corrective Focus of Varying Focus Domains in Standard Mandarin. | 20th Internal Workshop of the SFB 632 Information Structure, Potsdam | ||
| October 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Chinese fruit salad: The prosody of counter-presuppositional and counter-assertive focus in Mandarin. | Minzu University, Beijing | ||
| September 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Phonological phrasing and ATR vowel harmony in Akan. | Leiden University | ||
| June 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Phonological phrasing and ATR vowel harmony in Akan. | Syntax-Semantik-Kolloquium, Potsdam | ||
| June 2014 | Poster | Kügler, F.: Focus affects the pitch register - focal lowering in German. | International Symposium on Prosody to Commemorate Gösta Bruce, Lund, June 2014 | ||
| May 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Phonological phrasing and ATR vowel harmony in Akan. | Phonologie-Syntax-Zirkel, ZAS, Berlin | ||
| May 2014 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On the elicitation of focus – Prosodic differences as a function of sentence mode of the context? | Conference: Tonal aspects of language 2014, Nijmegen | Download | |
| January 2014 | Workshop | Kentner, G., Ishihara, S., Feldhausen, I. & Kügler, F.: Prosody and Information Structure. | Workshop - Goethe University Frankfurt | ||
| March 2013 | Workshop | Baumann, S. & Kügler, F.: Prosody and Information Status in Typological Perspective. | Workshop auf der DGfS 2013, Universität Potsdam | ||
| December 2012 | Talk | Kügler, F.: What vowel harmony can tell us for prosodic phrasing in Akan. | Goethe Universität zu Frankfurt | ||
| November 2012 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Sentence Initiality, Focus & Default Prominence – Two languages that we never talked about. | 16th. Internal Workshop of the SFB 632 | ||
| November 2012 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Segmental and prosodic cues for phrasing in Akan. | Syntax-Phonology Interface from a Cross-linguistic Perspective, ZAS Berlin | ||
| September 2012 | Talk | Genzel, S., Ishihara, S., Schubö, F. Surányi, B. & Szalontai, A.: The prosodic realization of broad and narrow focus in Hungarian. | The Fifth European Conference on Tone and Intonation (TIE5), University of Oxford | ||
| August 2012 | Talk | Genzel, S.: The prosodic realisation of Yes-No-Questions in Akan. | Second Central European Conference in Linguistics for Postgraduate Students (Cecil’s), Peter Pazmany Catholic University (PPCU), Hungary | ||
| August 2012 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Myberg, S.: Initial focus in Swedish – A matter of scaling and alignment. | XIth Nordic Prosody conference, University of Tartu | ||
| August 2012 | Talk | Genzel, S.: The prosodic realisation of Yes-No-Questions in Akan. | 5th Linguistics Association of Ghana Conference (LAG 2012), University of Education, Winneba (UEW) | ||
| March 2012 | Poster | Genzel, S.: Prosodic phrasing and focus in Akan. | Workshop on Production and perception of prosodically-encoded information structure, GLOW 35, Potsdam | ||
| March 2012 | Workshop | Zerbian, S. & Kügler, F.: Production and perception of prosodically-encoded information structure. | GLOW-35 Workshop, Potsdam Universität Potsdam | ||
| March 2012 | Talk | Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: The prosodic realisation of Yes-No-Questions in Akan. | 43rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL), Tulane University, New Orleans | ||
| March 2012 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On the interaction of downstep and focus – register lowering in Akan. | 43rd Annual Conference on African Linguistics (ACAL), Tulane University, New Orleans | ||
| November 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: Pitch Register. | 14th Internal Workshop of the SFB 632 | ||
| September 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Phonetic realization of polar questions in Akan. | Minzu University of China | ||
| August 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: Phonetic Realization of Downdrift and Downstep in Akan. | 17th International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS XVII), Hong Kong | ||
| June 2011 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On the prosodic expression of pragmatic prominence – The case of tonal lowering in Akan. | ACAL 42, Maryland | ||
| April 2011 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Akan – the case of tonal lowering. | GLOW 34, Wien, Workshop on the phonological marking of focus and topic | ||
| April 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S. & Grubic, M.: Focus (non-)realization in Ngamo. | GLOW 34, Wien, Workshop on the phonological marking of focus and topic | ||
| January 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Preplanning in Akan. | OCP 8, Marrakech | ||
| January 2011 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Preplanning in Akan. | Phonologie Kolloquium, University of Potsdam | ||
| September 10 | Poster | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On register shifts in typologically different languages – The case of prominence and downstep. | Tone and Intonation in Europe TIE 4, Stockholm | ||
| Juli 2010 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Downtrends in Akan - What goes up must come down. | Phonologie Kolloquium, University of Potsdam | ||
| Juli 2010 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Information structure and pitch register. | Internationale SFB Konferenz, Potsdam | ||
| May 2010 | Poster | Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: The prosodic expression of contrast in Hindi. | Speech Prosody, Chicago | ||
| May 2010 | Talk | Zerbian, S., Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: Experimental work on prosodically-marked information structure in selected African languages (Afroasiatic and Niger-Congo). | Speech Prosody, Chicago | ||
| February 2010 | Talk | Kügler, F. On the prosodic expression of prominence in typologically different languages. | DGfS, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 23.02.-26.02.2010 | ||
| January 2010 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Tone and Intonation in Akan. | Phonologie Kolloquium, University of Potsdam | ||
| November 2009 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On the interaction of tone and intonation: tonal lowering in Akan. | Workshop SFB 632 'Informationsstruktur', Berlin | ||
| September 2009 | Poster | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Prosodic expression of sentence-level pragmatic meaning in Akan. | Workshop on Prosody and Meaning | ||
| March 2009 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: On the prosodic realization of prominence and downstep in the tone language Akan. | P&P 5, IfL Phonetik Köln und IfK Bonn, Neuer Senatssaal der University of Köln | ||
| February 2009 | Talk | Genzel, S.: Kontrast in Hindi. | Phonologie Kolloquium, University of Potsdam | ||
| January 2009 | Talk | Genzel, S.: On prosodic effects Of prominence and downstep in Akan. | Linguistics Department, University of Ghana, Legon. | ||
| November 2008 | Talk | Genzel, S. & Kügler, F.: Prominence and downstep in Akan. | 9. Workshop des SFB 632 "Informationsstruktur", Berlin, Nikolassee. | ||
| June 2008 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Modelling pitch register effects. | University of Potsdam | ||
| June 2008 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Duration and F0 as information structure cues in German. | University of Potsdam | ||
| June 2008 | Workshop | Kügler, F. & Genzel, S.: Potsdam-Lund-Prosody-Meeting. | University of Potsdam | ||
| May 2008 | Poster | Kügler, F.: The role of duration as a phonetic correlate of focus. | Fourth Conference on Speech Prosody, Campinas, Brazil. | Download | |
| April 2008 | Poster | Kügler, F.: Modeling cross-linguistic pitch-range effects for tonal implementation. | Experimental and Theoretical Advances in Prosody, Ithaca, New York. | Download | |
| February 2008 | Workgroup | Bergmann, P. & Kügler, F. Methods in Intonation Research. | 30. Jahrestagung der DGfS. Bamberg. | ||
| December 2007 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Die Rolle von Dauer als phonetisches Korrelat bei Fokus und Gegebenheit im Deutschen: Produktion & Perzeption. | Institut für Phonetik, University of Köln. | ||
| November 2007 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Focus, givenness and the role of duration. | University of Ulster, Belfast. | ||
| November 2007 | Talk | Kügler, F.: Duration as a phonetic correlate of focus prominence. | University of Queen Margret, Edinburgh. | ||
| August 2007 | Talk | Kügler, F. & Skopeteas, S.: On the universality of prosodic reflexes of contrast: The case of Yucatec Maya. | Conference presentation: XVI. International Congress of Phonetic Sciences, Saarbrücken. | ||
| August 2007 | Talk | Hellmuth, S., Kügler, F. & Singer, R.: Tonal Alignment and Focus in Mawng. | Workshop on "Intonational Phonology: Understudied or Fieldwork Languages", Saarbrücken. |