Constant "segmental anchoring" of F0 movements under changes in speech rate

Ladd, D.R., Faulkner, D., Faulker, H. and Schepman, A.

This study develops the notion of the "segmental anchoring" of F0 movements, specifically, the idea that both the beginning and the end of a rising pitch accent are anchored to specific points in segmental structure (Arvaniti, Ladd, Mennen (1998) Journal of Phonetics, 26(1):3-25.). If there are segmental anchors for rising accents, the anchors should be closer together as speaking rate increases, and the rises should therefore be shorter and steeper. This was tested in two experiments in which speakers were asked to modify rate. In both experiments the basic prediction was confirmed. In the second experiment the alignment of the beginning and end of the rise with they hypothesised segmental anchor points was measured. For all speakers there was a strong correlation between the duration of the rise and the time interval between the anchor points, and there were only small and inconsistent effects of rate on the alignment. Effects of rate on pitch excursion size were likewise small and inconsistent. The results support a model in which pitch accents consist of "tonal targets", and in which the alignment and the "vertical scaling" of the tonal targets is what determines a pitch accent's shape.