• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.41-53
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• 2020

A wh-phrase in an embedded sentence may have either an embedded or a matrix scope. Interpretation of a wh-phrase with a matrix scope has tended to be syntactically unacceptable unless the sentence reads with a wh-intonation. Previous studies have found two differences in prosodic characteristics between sentences with matrix and embedded scopes. Firstly, peak F0s in wh-phrases produced with an F0 compression wh-intonation are higher than those in indirect questions, and peak F0s in matrix verbs are lower than those in sentences with embedded scope. Secondly, a substantial F0 drop is found at the end of embedded sentences in indirect questions, whereas no F0 reduction at the same point is noticed in sentences with a matrix scope produced with a high plateau wh-intonation. However, these characteristics were not found in our experiment. This showed that a more compelling difference exists in the values obtained from subtraction between the peak F0s of each word (or a word plus an ending or case marker) and the F0s at the end of the word. Specifically, the gap between the peak F0 in a word composed with an embedded verb and the F0 at the end of the word, which is a complementizer in Korean, is large in embedded wh-scope sentences and low in matrix wh-scope sentences.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.49-58
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• 2002

This study is to classify intonation types of sentence terminal in accordance with sentence form in Korean dialects. Intonation types of sentence terminal in declarative, interrogative (yes-no and wh-sentence), imperative, suggestive of Gyeongnam dialect are low fall, high fall, high fall, low fall, so are not distinctive by intonation, but distinctive by final ending morphemes. But those of Jungbu dialect are low fall, rise-fall and full rise, high level, low rise-fall. Those of Jeonnam dialect are low level, rise-fall and full rise, high level, high level. So those of Jungbu dialect are similar to Jeonnam dialect.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.27-35
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• 2021

This study investigated the status of the wh-island constraint in Seoul Korean. The syntactic movement of a wh-phrase out of an embedded sentence so as to have wide scope at LF is known to be invalid as it violates the wh-island constraint, but there have been studies in which such a movement was possible when the sentence is read with a wh-intonation. We conducted perceptual tests in which subjects were asked to select an answer after listening to each of the four types of interrogative sentences. Three of them were with 'Nugu-leul', which is an accusative form of the wh-phrase 'who' as well as an indefinite form. The fourth sentence contained the name of a person. 'Nugu-leul' and the noun were positioned in the same embedded sentence to see whether the subjects accepted a matrix scope interpretation of the wh-phrases. Response time was transformed to normalized log response time and checked to find any differences in the time taken to select the answers depending on different types of interrogative sentences. The results showed the subjects had a definite preference for the matrix scope interpretation for the sentences with a wh-intonation. The response time required to select the matrix scope interpretation was longer than for any other type of interrogative sentence. We concluded that the wh-island constraint in Seoul Korean is weak.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.1
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• pp.27-38
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• 1997

The differences in French Intonation between French and Korean learners can be applied to French intonation education. One native French speaker and three native Korean speakers who learned French language at High school were selected for this study. The subjects spoke test phrases based on the different syntactic structures. High-Speed speech Analysis system(RILP) was used for this experiment. The different intonation curves were showed at the end of phrase and at the beginning of phrase between French and Korean learners. At the end of phrases, French intonation appeared to have increasing and decending pitch contours in the case of wh-question, exclamation and finality. However, Korean learner's intonation showed only increasing pitch contours. At the beginning of phrase, French intonation shows decending pitch contours in the case of minor continuation and command. In contrast, Korean learner's intonation appeared to have increasing pitch contours. The new intonation training system using PC can have great effect on education of French as a second language.

• MALSORI
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• no.9_10
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• pp.28-90
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• 1985

This study has two objectives. ft attempts to describe the forms and (He functions of sentence final intonations in Korean, and it also attempts to deal with the relationship between questions and rising intonation for Korean and English. The contents of this study are as follows. In Chapter 2, the version of Korean(standard Korean) which this study is assumed to analyse, the sources of material involved, and the method and scope of analysis are stated. Chapter 3, which is a preparatory stage for the analysis of the function of intonation in standard Korean in Chapter 4, classifies the material according to the type of intonation used. In Chapter 4i the discussion is entirely devoted to the function of Korean intonation. The conclusions of Chapter 4 are as follows: Firstly, intonation contours in Korean have the function of distinguishing the sentence types; the falling contour marks declaratives, Wh- interrogatives and imperatives, while the rising contour marks yes/no interrogatives. However, it is interesting to note that in the interrogative sentences with the inflectional ending '-chi', a very different phenomenon is observed; that is to say, most of yes/no interrogatives are marked by the falling contour and all of Wh- interrogatives by the rising one. Secondly, the falling contour in Korean is typically employed in performing the illocutionary act of assertion in rhetorical and tag questions. Thirdly, the intonation in Korean contributes to express the speaker's special attitudes or emotions. In Chapter 5, where the relationship between questions and rising intonation is examined, Liberman's theory turns out to be untenable. Further-more. this thesis shows that an explanation of the relationship between questions and rising intonation should have its basis on general linguistic facts.

• MALSORI
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• no.35_36
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• pp.49-61
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• 1998

The study on the intonational characteristics is concentrated on the lowering of the pitch level that is described as declination and downstep. The Taegu dialect, which has phonological accentual system, has these phonetic characteristics in affirmative sentences or Yes-No Question sentences. But there is the opposite phenomenon in WH question sentences in Taegu dialect. When the accent of interrogative word in the sentence intial position is LHL, intonation pattern shows a continuous upward movement, indicating that intonation pattern of Taegu dialect is influenced by not only grammatical system but also accentual system.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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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.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 1998

In this paper production and perception data were examined to discover what acoustic features are used in distinguishing wh-questions and yes/no-questions. Production data show that the two question types are distinguished by different accentual phrasing, pitch ranges in wh-phrases, and initial lenis stop voicing of the first syllable in verb phrases. Perception data by synthetic intonation show that the two question types are distinguished by the width of pitch ranges between the first and the second syllable in wh-phrases. Initial lenis stop voicing of the first syllable in verb phrases produces a strong effect on the perceptual discrimination of the two question types.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2022

A wh-phrase positioned in an embedded clause can be interpreted as having a matrix scope if the sentence is produced with proper prosodic structures such as the wh-intonation. In a previous experiment, a sentence with a wh-phrase in an embedded clause was given to 40 speakers of Gyeongsang Korean. A script containing the sentence was provided to induce a matrix scope interpretation for the wh-phrase. These 40 utterances were prepared as stimuli for a perception test to verify whether the wh-phrases in the stimuli were perceived as having matrix scopes. Each utterance was played thrice to 24 subjects. The results showed that more than half of the 72 responses indicated a preference for an embedded scope rather than a matrix scope in 20 of the utterances. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that the matrix scope responses were best predicted by the magnitude of the pitch prominence in a prosodic word consisting of an embedded verb and a complementizer. The pitch prominence was calculated by subtracting the fundamental frequency (F0) at the right edge of the prosodic word from the peak F0 in the same prosodic word. The smaller the magnitude, the more matrix responses there were. These results suggest that the categorical perception of wh-scopes is based on the magnitude of pitch prominence.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 1999

This study is concerned with the educational program Visual Analysis Tool (VAT) for sound development for foreign intonation using personal computer. The VAT can run on IBM-PC 386 compatible or higher. It shows the spectrogram, waveform, intensity and the pitch contour. The system can work freely on either waveform zoom in-out or the documentation of measured value. In this paper, intensity and pitch contour information were used. Twelve French sentences were recorded from a French conversational tape. And three Korean participated in this study. They spoke out twelve sentences repeatly and trid to make the same pitch contour - by visually matching their pitcgh contour to the native speaker's. A sentences were recorded again when the participants themselves became familiar with intonation, intensity and pauses. The difference of pitch contour(rising or falling), pitch value, energy, total duration of sentences and the boundary of rhythmic group between native speaker's and theirs before and after training were compared. The results were as following: 1) In a declarative sentence: a native speaker's general pitch contour falls at the end of sentences. But the participant's pitch contours were flat before training. 2) In an interrogative: the native speaker made his pitch contours it rise at the end of sentences with the exception of wh-questions (qu'est-ce que) and a pitch value varied a greath. In the interrogative 'S + V' form sentences, we found the pitch contour rose higher in comparison to other sentences and it varied a great deal. 3) In an exclamatory sentence: the pitch contour looked like a shape of a mountain. But the participants could not make it fall before or after training.