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F0 CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH SPONTANEOUS AND READ-ALOUD SPEECH
Abstract
Distinctive prosodic features of spontaneous and read-aloud speech are difficult to determine due to several degrees of spontaneity, individual speaking styles, and a variety of emotional states, registers, and communicative situations. Nevertheless, scientists have been making a number of attempts in pursuit of this goal. The article presents the results of comparative analysis of spontaneous and read-aloud speech, obtained on identical material, characterized by neutral pronunciation style from the perspectives of perception and fundamental frequency (F0). Spontaneous speech (monologue) was produced and then read by a native speaker of British English. Hesitation pauses, filled and unfilled, were later deleted. F0 of words in the positions of tonal nuclei and under prominent pitch accents were analyzed as the most significant parts of tone units. Such characteristics as pitch interval, F0 slope and pitch direction were in the focus of attention. It was found that spontaneous speech was characterized by narrower pitch intervals, flatter F0 slopes and more rising-falling pitch contours; while read-aloud speech by larger pitch intervals, steeper F0 slopes and more level tones.
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