• 음성과학
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• 제2권
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• pp.159-172
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• 1997

This paper proposes a prosodic representation system of the Kyungnam dialect of Korean, based on the ToBI system. In this system, diverse intonation patterns are transcribed on the four parallel tiers: a tone tier, a break index tier, an orthographic tier, and a miscellaneous tier. The tone tier employs pitch accents, phrase accents, and boundary tones marked with diacritics in order to represent various pitch events. The break index tier uses five break indices, numbered from 0 to 4, in order to represent degrees of connectiveness in speech by associating each inter-word position with a break index. In this, each break index represents a boundary of some kind of constituent. This system can contribute not only to a more detailed theory connecting prosody, syntax, and intonation, but also to current text-to-speech synthesis approaches, speech recognition, and other quantitative computational modellings.

• 한국정보과학회 언어공학연구회:학술대회논문집(한글 및 한국어 정보처리)
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• 한국정보과학회언어공학연구회 1999년도 제11회 한글 및 한국어 정보처리 학술대회
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• pp.184-190
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• 1999

본 논문에서는 Text-to-Speech 시스템에서 사용할 억양 모델을 위해 음성 DB에서 모델 파라미터와 피치 검색테이블(lookup-table)을 추출하여 미리 구성하고, 합성시에는 이를 추정하여 최종 F0 값을 생성하는 자료기반 접근방식(data-driven approach)을 사용한다. 어절 경계강도(break-index)는 경계강도의 특성에 따라 고정적 경계강도와 가변적 경계강도로 세분화하여 사용하였고, 예측된 경계강도를 기준으로 억양구(Intonation Phrase)와 액센트구(Accentual Phrase)를 설정하였다. 특히, 액센트구 모델은 인지적, 음향적으로 중요한 정점(peak)을 정확하게 모델링하는 것에 주안점을 두어 정점(peak)의 시간축, 주파수축 값과 이를 기준으로 한 앞뒤 기울기를 추정하여 4개의 파라미터로 설정하였고, 이 파라미터들은 CART(Classification and Regression Tree)를 이용하여 예측규칙을 만들었다. 경계음조가 나타나는 조사, 어미는 정규화된(normalized) 피치값과 key-index로 구성되는 검색테이블을 만들어 보다 정교하게 피치값을 예측하였다. 본 논문에서 제안한 억양 모델을 본 연구실에서 제작한 음성합성기를 통해 합성하여 청취실험을 거친 결과, 기존의 상용 Text-to-Speech 시스템에 비해 자연스러운 합성음을 얻을 수 있었다.

• 음성과학
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.319-338
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• 2003

The aim of this paper is to examine the sentence final tonal patterns of English wh-questions through phonetic experiments, based on Intonational Phonology, and to explain the meaning of the final phrase tones of English wh-questions. Pierrehumbert and Hirschberg (1990) suggested that it is pitch accents rather than boundary tones which play a crucial role in the meaning of a sentence, and that most of the general questions have H-H% tonal patterns in the sentence final. However, they could not explain why wh-questions had final falling tonal patterns (L-L%). While Bartels (1999) suggested that L phrase tone has the meaning of 'ASSERTION' and it could be applied to the explanation of the meaning of wh-questions' final tonal patterns. However, her suggestions are only theoretical explanation without any experimental support. In this paper, based on Bartels (1999), the data was classified into the following three classes: 1) echo wh-questions, 2) reference questions, and 3) common wh-questions. Using this data, a production test by three English native speakers was conducted. The results show that reference questions and common wh-questions have L phrase tones in the sentence final at a high rate, and echo wh-questions have H phrase tones in the sentence final at a high rate.

• 음성과학
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• 제12권4호
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• pp.141-152
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• 2005

This paper shows the tonal patterns of English conjunctive utterances produced by Korean speakers of English, presenting that Korean speakers realize either the H - phrase tone or the H% boundary tone at the phrase-final part of the conjunctive utterances. Based on Pierrehumbert & Hirschberg's (1990) claim that either H- or H% tone indicates that a phrase is related to the following one, Korean speakers seem to produce the satisfactory patterns of edge tones in conjunctive sentences. In the experiment, we made up conjunctive sentences including both coordinate conjunctions such as and, but, or, and so and subordinate conjunctions like if, when and though. We varied the stimuli according to the existence of a comma and the lengths of connecting words and phrases. We also divided the subjects into two levels of English proficiency based on their English written test scores to see if Korean speakers' performance ability of edge tones is related with their general competence of English. Results show that Korean speakers produced 84% of the H- phrase tone in intermediate phrases and H-L% and L-H% boundary tones in intonational phrases. Also, coordinate and subordinate conjunctions show little difference in their tonal contours, and the existence of a comma or the lengths of connecting words and phrases do not affect Korean speakers' production of the H- phrasal tone and the H% boundary tone. This may suggest that pitch accents, rather than edge tones, should be put more focus on in teaching English intonation in Korea as much work has already shown that Korean speakers have serious problem with producing pitch accents in speaking English.

• 한국음향학회지
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• 제18권7호
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• pp.85-91
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• 1999

본 연구는 한국어 유음 /l/의 두 변이음 중 [r]의 음성적 실현에 대해 실험음성학적으로 고찰해보았다. 분절음들의 음성학적 실현은 인접해 있는 분절음으로부터 영향을 받을 뿐만 아니라 분절음의 운율적 위치 또한 영향을 미친다. 본 연구는 이런 운율적 위치가 변이음 [r]의 음성적 실현에 어떤 영향을 미치는지 살펴보았다. 운율적 위치는 발화문장 초, 억양구 초, 악센트구 초, 그리고 악센트구 말로 분류하였으며 그리고 단어 내 위치에 따른 영향 또한 살펴보기 위하여 단어 초, 단어 중간, 단어 말로 분류하였다. 네 명의 피험자를 대상으로 음성 실험과 그에 따른 통계 분석 결과, [r]의 음성적 실현은 다양한 것으로 나타났다. 가장 약화 정도가 심한 공명음에서부터, 마찰음, 그리고 [r]의 전형적인 음성적 실현인 짧은 파열음으로까지 다양하게 실현되었다. 짧은 파열음 내에서도 폐쇄구간과 VOT의 길이 또한 다양하게 나타났다. 이들의 다양한 음성적 실현에 미치는 요인 중의 하나는 단어 내 [r]이 나타나는 위치로서 단어 초(때에 따라서는 단어 말에서도)에서가 단어 중간에서보다 약화 현상이 덜한 것으로 나타났다. 이는 음성, 운율 단위초 강화 현상과 단위말 장음화 현상에 기인하는 것으로 판단된다. 그리고 운율적 위치에 따라서도 다양하게 실현되었는데 일반적으로 운율적으로 약한 자리에서가 강한 자리에서보다 약화된 형태인 공명음 또는 마찰음으로 실현되는 경향이 큰 것으로 나타났다. 폐쇄구간이 약화되지 않고 짧은 폐쇄음으로 실현될 경우 폐쇄구간 지속시간은 운율위치와 뚜렷한 상관관계를 보이지 않는 반면 VOT 지속시간은 단어 초 위치에서 높은 상관관계를 보였다. 즉, 발화문장 초와 억양구 초에서가 악센트구 초와 악센트구 중간에서보다 강하게, 즉 길게 실현되는 것으로 나타났다. 이는 [r]의 음성적 실현이 운율적 계층성에 따라 달라지며 운율적으로 강한 자리에서가 약한 자리에서 보다. 또는, 계층적으로 높은 위치에서가 낮은 위치에서보다 분절음 자신의 음성적 특성의 변형(약화)을 덜 입는 것으로 해석할 수 있겠다.

• 음성과학
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.131-145
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• 2004

The informative or important entities in utterances are focused and the focused items are usually accompanied by changes in phonetic manifestation. Phonetic realizations triggered by focus include changes of tonal contours as well as segmental strengthening. Focus in Korean is characterized by new phrase initiation, dephrasing, and initial tone contour with an enlarged pitch range in addition to segmentally lengthened initial segment. Focusing on the prosodic cues which play an important role in delivering the speakers' intention, this study aims to find out what intonational characteristics of Korean focus are realized by English learners of Korean. The English learners are divided into two groups according to their fluency in Korean, and the differences in focus realization between each group are discussed. Furthermore, the phonological and phonetic realizations of focus by English learners of Korean are compared to those by Korean native speakers. The results of this study yields two suggestions for Korean intonation education of L2 learners. First, the comparison between the two speaker groups can give better understanding in how and why the Korean intonation of English speakers is different from that of Koreans. Second, each phonological and phonetic characteristic of focus realization can weigh differently and its realization provides a criterion for evaluation of L2 Korean proficiency.

• 음성과학
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.41-55
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• 2003

This paper investigates the tonal patterns of English information structure composed of topic and focus. It has been argued in previous theories that there is a significant relationship between English topic-focus structure and intonation. The English topic is marked with L+H* pitch accent and focus is marked with H* pitch accent. These theories, however, are oversimplified ones since they do not consider the contextual differences of topic and focus. To examine more concrete tonal patterns of English topic and focus, we classified topic into two subcategories of reminding topic and old-information topic. Focus was categorized into three: information focus, contrastive focus, and reference focus. The overall results show that native English speakers are inclined to use both the L+H* and H* pitch accent for the topic and focus of an utterance. We also observe a tendency to deaccentuate the topics given as old information and to mark the topics given as noun phrase with H* pitch accent. As for the intonation of focus, H* pitch accent is the most frequent type of accent, but L+H* also shows a high percentage of implementation especially in the context of correction or contrast.

• 대한음성학회지:말소리
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• 제66호
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• pp.21-39
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• 2008

The purpose of this study is to analyze the intonational slope characteristics of the Korean news utterances. Prosodic phrases were analyzed in terms of the K-ToBI labeling system. In addition, the change of intonation contour that occurs throughout the sentences was discussed in terms of types of media and gender. Results showed that the overall declination of the intonation contour of radio and male revealed a gentler slope than that of TV and female, respectively. While the regression of the top line slope showed male's higher $R^2$ with the number of words, the base line slope of the radio and female was proved to be highly influenced from the number of syllables, words, and prosodic phrases. A lot more independent variables statistically affected to the base line slope. This means that the base line slope was strongly related to the variables, the top line slope, otherwise, could be more freely fluctuated due to the light correlation with them.

• 말소리와 음성과학
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• 제5권3호
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• pp.47-54
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• 2013

The purpose of this study is to analyse prosodic characteristics of accentual phrases (AP, hereafter) produced by Chinese learners of Korean in Korean text reading. The study is restricted only to the initial APs. Subjects are students who have been studying Korean at a beginner level. The results showed that Chinese learners of Korean tended to make errors in the realization of the tonal patterns of the initial 2 syllables of the initial APs. Also they showed different F0 slopes across the initial and second syllables in the initial APs. Chinese learners of Korean, therefore, need to focus on the prosodic characteristics of the initial 2 syllables of Korean APs to realize fluent Korean intonation.

• 음성과학
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• 제7권4호
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• pp.187-202
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• 2000

The negative sentence may have an ambiguity depending on which constituent of the sentence is negated. In case of sentence final adverbials, whether they are included in the scope of negation generates the semantic ambiguity. Since sentences with ambiguous meanings have the same word order, the differences of the meanings in different contexts should be manifested with intonational cues. This article represents how intonation contributes to the disambiguation in negative sentences with ambiguity and which phonological/phonetic cues are specifically used in the course of the disambiguation.