Duration and the prosodic disambiguation of nested structure

Nino Grillo; Andrea Santi; Giuseppina Turco

Duration and the prosodic disambiguation of nested structure

Nino Grillo^*, Andrea Santi, Giuseppina Turco

^*Corresponding author for this work

Language and Linguistic Science

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter

Abstract

Durational information provides strongly reliable cues for organizing and tracking syntactic structure of sentences. At the same time, durational properties of speech are largely dependent on complexity, often modelled as a function of predictability: higher predictability is reliably associated with shorter duration, while less predictable elements of utterances are more carefully articulated, and thus produced more slowly. While the two determinants of duration (structure and predictability) are often aligned, there exist a well-defined set of exceptions where the two factors make opposite predictions. We discuss converging evidence that rhythm modulation might play a crucial role in the disambiguation of structural nesting, leading to shorter duration for more complex nested structures and longer duration for simpler structures involving sisterhood. We then present an account of these durational differences and rhythmic patterns, based on the interaction of independently motivated prosodic principles.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Rhythm of Speech and Language
Editors	Lars Meyer, Antje Strauss
Publisher	Cambridge University Press
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2023

Keywords

Prosodic disambiguation
Nesting
Duration
Tempo
Rhythm
Predictability
prosodic structure

Embargoed Document

Grillo Santi and Turco 2024
Accepted author manuscript, 3.44 MB
Embargo ends: 31/12/99

Cite this

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title = "Duration and the prosodic disambiguation of nested structure",

abstract = "Durational information provides strongly reliable cues for organizing and tracking syntactic structure of sentences. At the same time, durational properties of speech are largely dependent on complexity, often modelled as a function of predictability: higher predictability is reliably associated with shorter duration, while less predictable elements of utterances are more carefully articulated, and thus produced more slowly. While the two determinants of duration (structure and predictability) are often aligned, there exist a well-defined set of exceptions where the two factors make opposite predictions. We discuss converging evidence that rhythm modulation might play a crucial role in the disambiguation of structural nesting, leading to shorter duration for more complex nested structures and longer duration for simpler structures involving sisterhood. We then present an account of these durational differences and rhythmic patterns, based on the interaction of independently motivated prosodic principles.",

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TY - CHAP

T1 - Duration and the prosodic disambiguation of nested structure

AU - Grillo, Nino

AU - Santi, Andrea

AU - Turco, Giuseppina

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Durational information provides strongly reliable cues for organizing and tracking syntactic structure of sentences. At the same time, durational properties of speech are largely dependent on complexity, often modelled as a function of predictability: higher predictability is reliably associated with shorter duration, while less predictable elements of utterances are more carefully articulated, and thus produced more slowly. While the two determinants of duration (structure and predictability) are often aligned, there exist a well-defined set of exceptions where the two factors make opposite predictions. We discuss converging evidence that rhythm modulation might play a crucial role in the disambiguation of structural nesting, leading to shorter duration for more complex nested structures and longer duration for simpler structures involving sisterhood. We then present an account of these durational differences and rhythmic patterns, based on the interaction of independently motivated prosodic principles.

AB - Durational information provides strongly reliable cues for organizing and tracking syntactic structure of sentences. At the same time, durational properties of speech are largely dependent on complexity, often modelled as a function of predictability: higher predictability is reliably associated with shorter duration, while less predictable elements of utterances are more carefully articulated, and thus produced more slowly. While the two determinants of duration (structure and predictability) are often aligned, there exist a well-defined set of exceptions where the two factors make opposite predictions. We discuss converging evidence that rhythm modulation might play a crucial role in the disambiguation of structural nesting, leading to shorter duration for more complex nested structures and longer duration for simpler structures involving sisterhood. We then present an account of these durational differences and rhythmic patterns, based on the interaction of independently motivated prosodic principles.

KW - Prosodic disambiguation

KW - Nesting

KW - Duration

KW - Tempo

KW - Rhythm

KW - Predictability

KW - prosodic structure

M3 - Chapter

BT - Rhythm of Speech and Language

A2 - Meyer, Lars

A2 - Strauss, Antje

PB - Cambridge University Press

ER -