Linguist Forum

Specializations => Phonetics and Phonology => Topic started by: zaba on August 13, 2014, 04:44:27 AM

Title: Pitch of a vowel
Post by: zaba on August 13, 2014, 04:44:27 AM

If I wanted to compare the pitch of identical words across different speakers, let's say words of the type TVT (where T is a voiceless onset and coda), it is correct/standard to measure the pitch of the V? Is that averaged f0 calculation meaningful?

Title: Re: Pitch of a vowel
Post by: MalFet on August 13, 2014, 07:50:15 AM

In simple closed syllables with voiceless onsets and codas, the vowel is going to be the only thing with enough acoustic energy to have pitch in any standard sense. Whether or not that measurement is useful/correct/meaningful depends entirely on what you're trying to do with it.

Title: Re: Pitch of a vowel
Post by: zaba on August 13, 2014, 12:08:06 PM

Right you are.
I want to compare the pitch of the same sentence said by different people to look at the kinds of differences between genders, accents, and just inter-speaker in general.

So I think of a simple sentence and ask them to repeat the sentence as declarative, question, and command. Make me a sandwhich/Make _me_ a sandwhich? / Make me a sandwich!!!

Seems like a fun illustration of prosody, right?
:/