Question intonation in Southern Swedish
Horne, Merle LU
and Roll, Mikael
LU
(2021)
Fonetik 2021
In Lund Working Papers in Linguistics
56.
p.54-57
- Abstract (Swedish)
- Swedish has been generally assumed not to have any well-defined question intonation. However, with respect to Southern Swedish, Lindblad & Gårding (1973) present data showing final rises in polar (Y/N) questions. Gårding (1979) also assumes a broader and higher F0 range in Y/N questions than in statements, particularly on the final focussed word. The present study investigates the extent to which these question cues occur in a material involving spontaneous dialogues led by a speaker of Southern Swedish (Malmö). Results for utterances with question syntax show final rises in 16% of the Y/N questions and 3% of the Wh-questions. For utterances without question syntax, 79% were associated with final... (More)
- Swedish has been generally assumed not to have any well-defined question intonation. However, with respect to Southern Swedish, Lindblad & Gårding (1973) present data showing final rises in polar (Y/N) questions. Gårding (1979) also assumes a broader and higher F0 range in Y/N questions than in statements, particularly on the final focussed word. The present study investigates the extent to which these question cues occur in a material involving spontaneous dialogues led by a speaker of Southern Swedish (Malmö). Results for utterances with question syntax show final rises in 16% of the Y/N questions and 3% of the Wh-questions. For utterances without question syntax, 79% were associated with final rises. Comparing F0 on the first prosodic word of questions, both Y/N-and Wh-questions showed a significantly higher F0 level (ca. 2-3 ST higher) than statements. A further comparison of the F0 level on the most prominent word following the first prosodic word in questions and statements showed that Y/N questions had a higher F0 on the most prominent word than statements. However, Wh-questions did not differ significantly from statements in that respect. Thus initial F0-level appears to be a strong prosodic cue distinguishing between questions (both Y/N questions and Wh-questions) and statements in the Southern Swedish material examined. F0 level on the most prominent word following the first prosodic word is also a reliable prosodic cue distinguishing Y/N questions from statements and Wh-questions, but not for distinguishing between Y/N questions and Wh-questions. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/10cae803-57d8-44e6-944e-9419f6cdbb04
- author
- Horne, Merle
LU
and Roll, Mikael
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2021
- type
- Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- intonation, Swedish, Y/N questions, Wh-questions, Southern Swedish, left periphery, question operator, illocutionary force
- host publication
- Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021 - Lund, June 8–9, 2021
- series title
- Lund Working Papers in Linguistics
- editor
- Roll, Mikael and Hjortdal, Anna
- volume
- 56
- pages
- 4 pages
- publisher
- Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University
- conference name
- Fonetik 2021
- conference location
- Sweden
- conference dates
- 2021-06-08 - 2021-06-09
- ISSN
- 0280-526X
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 10cae803-57d8-44e6-944e-9419f6cdbb04
- alternative location
- https://journals.lub.lu.se/LWPL/article/view/23276/20722
- date added to LUP
- 2021-06-10 09:00:47
- date last changed
- 2023-02-13 13:25:41
@inproceedings{10cae803-57d8-44e6-944e-9419f6cdbb04,
abstract = {{Swedish has been generally assumed not to have any well-defined question intonation. However, with respect to Southern Swedish, Lindblad & Gårding (1973) present data showing final rises in polar (Y/N) questions. Gårding (1979) also assumes a broader and higher F0 range in Y/N questions than in statements, particularly on the final focussed word. The present study investigates the extent to which these question cues occur in a material involving spontaneous dialogues led by a speaker of Southern Swedish (Malmö). Results for utterances with question syntax show final rises in 16% of the Y/N questions and 3% of the Wh-questions. For utterances without question syntax, 79% were associated with final rises. Comparing F0 on the first prosodic word of questions, both Y/N-and Wh-questions showed a significantly higher F0 level (ca. 2-3 ST higher) than statements. A further comparison of the F0 level on the most prominent word following the first prosodic word in questions and statements showed that Y/N questions had a higher F0 on the most prominent word than statements. However, Wh-questions did not differ significantly from statements in that respect. Thus initial F0-level appears to be a strong prosodic cue distinguishing between questions (both Y/N questions and Wh-questions) and statements in the Southern Swedish material examined. F0 level on the most prominent word following the first prosodic word is also a reliable prosodic cue distinguishing Y/N questions from statements and Wh-questions, but not for distinguishing between Y/N questions and Wh-questions.}},
author = {{Horne, Merle and Roll, Mikael}},
booktitle = {{Proceedings of Fonetik 2021 : Lund, June 8–9, 2021}},
editor = {{Roll, Mikael and Hjortdal, Anna}},
issn = {{0280-526X}},
keywords = {{intonation; Swedish; Y/N questions; Wh-questions; Southern Swedish; left periphery; question operator; illocutionary force}},
language = {{swe}},
pages = {{54--57}},
publisher = {{Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University}},
series = {{Lund Working Papers in Linguistics}},
title = {{Question intonation in Southern Swedish}},
url = {{https://journals.lub.lu.se/LWPL/article/view/23276/20722}},
volume = {{56}},
year = {{2021}},
}