The fundamental frequency (f0) is considered a salient feature in the acoustic structure of the speech signal. The objective of our study was to investigate the f0 characteristics of speakers when reciting poetry. We recorded 24 speakers, who prepared and read out two poems by the same author but of a different character both in form and in content. The central research question was whether we could find any stable characteristics of the speakers that would be present in both texts. A complementary question of equal importance concerns the identification of features that consistently differ in the two texts. We wanted to know to what extent the differences in the structure and mood of the two poems alter the f0 parameters produced by individual speakers. Sixteen analyses were carried out, of which seven can be considered standard, while nine are less commonly used and, therefore, worth exploring. The results suggest that various methods of inquiry have their merits, and a combination of approaches is commendable. The best performing variables in our sample were the f0 baseline, the declination trendline and the proportion of continuation melodemes used by a speaker. These three characteristics are presented in a 3D display.
The present study addresses the unresolved issue of speech melody in Czech question-word questions (i.e., specific, information or content questions). Some renowned authors claim that these questions use the same melodic courses as statements, whereas others suggest salient modifications. We contribute to the debate with the results of an experiment, in which 24 speakers were recorded producing context-embedded utterances that formed latent question-statement pairs. The pairs under scrutiny were not obvious to the speakers but they structurally differed in just one or two phonemes and preserved identical stress-group and syllabic patterns. The analysis of the melodic contours shows that although both statements and interrogatives are generally (even if not always) produced with a falling contour, the placement of the melodic peak and its magnitude differ significantly. While statements are typically furnished with a late intonational nucleus, question-word questions more commonly display a higher early peak. Additionally, various pragmatic components of the messages are suggested that correlate with the individual tune shapes.
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