Intonation and Prosodic Structure

This book provides a comprehensive survey of intonation and prosodic structure,exploring how morpho-syntactic constituents are mapped to prosodic constituents,how individual tones combine,and how information structure affects intonation. It also discusses how languages differ in how their tonal patterns arise from tone concatenation,and includes experimental studies of how we process prosody.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 386 pages
\n Publication date: 20 September 2018
\n Publisher: Cambridge University Press
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This comprehensive book offers a cutting-edge exploration of intonation and prosodic structure, taking a phonological approach. It delves into the mapping of morpho-syntactic constituents to prosodic constituents based on well-formedness conditions, employing a tone-sequence model to examine individual tones and their combinations. Moreover, it explores the influence of information structure on intonation, demonstrating how tones and melodies convey meaning and add a pragmatic dimension to speech. The author also highlights the distinct ways in which languages generate their tonal patterns through tone concatenation, leading to significant variations in intonational grammar at both the lexical and sentential levels. The final chapter focuses on experimental studies of how humans process prosody, making this book invaluable for advanced students and researchers in linguistics, particularly in phonological theory.

Introduction:
The study of intonation and prosodic structure has been a central focus in linguistics for decades. Intonation, as a prominent aspect of spoken language, plays a crucial role in conveying meaning, emotion, and social context. Prosodic structure, on the other hand, refers to the organization of words and phrases within a sentence, influencing the overall rhythm and flow of speech. This book aims to provide a comprehensive survey of these topics, taking a phonological perspective.
Phonological Perspective:
The book adopts a phonological approach to understanding intonation and prosodic structure. Phonology is the branch of linguistics that studies the sound systems of languages, including the phonetic realization of speech sounds, the phonological rules that govern their production and perception, and the relationships between phonetic and phonological features. By focusing on phonology, the book seeks to unravel the intricate connections between morpho-syntactic constituents and prosodic constituents.
Mapping of Morpho-syntactic Constituents to Prosodic Constituents:
One of the key aspects of the book is its exploration of how morpho-syntactic constituents are mapped to prosodic constituents. The author discusses the principles and conditions that determine the mapping of these constituents, highlighting the role of well-formedness conditions in shaping the prosodic realization of speech. Well-formedness conditions refer to the constraints that govern the grammatical structure of a sentence, ensuring that it is coherent and grammatical. The author demonstrates how these conditions are applied to map morpho-syntactic constituents to prosodic constituents, highlighting the role of phonological processes in the realization of intonation.
Tone Sequence Model of Intonation:
The book employs a tone-sequence model of intonation to examine individual tones and their combinations. The tone sequence model is a framework that represents the hierarchical structure of intonation, where individual tones are arranged in a specific order to convey meaning. The author discusses the properties of individual tones, such as pitch, duration, and intensity, and how they combine to form complex intonational patterns. The tone sequence model allows the author to explore the relationship between information structure and intonation, showing how different types of information (e.g., focus, contrast, and emphasis) are conveyed through the use of intonation.
Individual Tones and Their Combinations:
The book delves into the examination of individual tones and how they combine to form complex intonational patterns. The author discusses the properties of individual tones, such as pitch, duration, and intensity, and how they interact with each other to convey different meanings. The author also explores the role of tone concatenation in the generation of tonal patterns, highlighting the differences between languages in how their tonal patterns arise from tone concatenation.
Information Structure and Intonation:
One of the central themes of the book is the influence of information structure on intonation. The author discusses how information structure affects intonation in several ways, showing how tones and melodies contribute to the pragmatic component of speech. The author demonstrates how information structure influences the realization of pitch, duration, and intensity, highlighting the ways in which speakers adjust their intonation to convey different meanings.
Differences between Languages:
The book also highlights the distinct ways in which languages generate their tonal patterns through tone concatenation. The author discusses the assignment of lexical tones, stress, phrase tones, and boundary tones in different languages, resulting in great variation in intonational grammar. The author demonstrates how these differences contribute to the uniqueness of each language's intonational system, highlighting the importance of studying intonation across languages for a comprehensive understanding of spoken language.
Experimental Studies of Prosody:
The last chapter of the book is dedicated to experimental studies of how we process prosody. The author discusses the methods used in these studies, such as pitch perception, duration perception, and intensity perception, and how they contribute to our understanding of intonation. The author also discusses the findings of these studies, highlighting the ways in which our perception of prosody influences our interpretation of speech.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this book provides a comprehensive survey of intonation and prosodic structure, taking a phonological perspective. The author offers a detailed exploration of the mapping of morpho-syntactic constituents to prosodic constituents, the tone sequence model of intonation, individual tones and their combinations, the influence of information structure on intonation, and the differences between languages in tonal patterns. The book is of interest to advanced students and researchers in linguistics, particularly in phonological theory. By examining intonation and prosodic structure from a phonological perspective, the book provides valuable insights into the complex mechanisms that govern spoken language and its communication.

\n Weight: 520g\n
Dimension: 142 x 217 x 21 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781107400382\n \n