The prosody of Clefted Relatives: A new window into prosodic representations

Buhan Guo; Nino Grillo; Sven Mattys; Andrea Santi; Shayne Sloggett; Giuseppina Turco

The prosody of Clefted Relatives: A new window into prosodic representations

Buhan Guo^*, Nino Grillo^*, Sven Mattys, Andrea Santi, Shayne Sloggett, Giuseppina Turco

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

The well-attested association between information structure and the acoustic properties of sentences can be captured by either assuming a direct mapping between semantics and acoustics or invoking the mediation of phonological processes operating on well-defined prosodic domains (indirect approaches). Although these two accounts’ predictions typically converge, we identified an understudied contrast for which the two views make different predictions. Specifically, through 3 experiments (1 production, 2 comprehension), we tested the prosody of it-clefts containing string-identical Connected Clauses (-Who sang? -It was [the editor] [that sang]) or Relative Clauses (-Who called? -It was [the editor [that sang]] ([that called])) that have semantically focused elements of different structural sizes. Connected Clauses attach high in the structure and are given. Relative Clauses are assumed to convey background information, but here they are nested within the focused element and also in focus. Our production results showed a localized prominence on the rightmost stressable syllable of the Relative Clause, which is in line with indirect accounts. The comprehension studies further showed that i) clefted Relatives trigger garden-path effects in reading, but ii) garden-paths disappear when prosody is present. The studies support indirect accounts by employing more complicated structural configurations.

Original language	English
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 2024
Event	Speech Prosody 2024 - Leiden University Centre for Linguistics, Leiden , Netherlands Duration: 2 Jul 2024 → 5 Jul 2024 https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/sp2024

Conference

Conference	Speech Prosody 2024
Abbreviated title	SP2024
Country/Territory	Netherlands
City	Leiden
Period	2/07/24 → 5/07/24
Internet address	https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/sp2024

Keywords

Prosody
Language Processing
Ambiguity resolution

Access to Document

Guo et al. 2024 Speech ProsodyFinal published version, 984 KBLicence: Unspecified

Cite this

@conference{4aae328bdcf34d148eb204fd9968c167,

title = "The prosody of Clefted Relatives: A new window into prosodic representations",

abstract = "The well-attested association between information structure and the acoustic properties of sentences can be captured by either assuming a direct mapping between semantics and acoustics or invoking the mediation of phonological processes operating on well-defined prosodic domains (indirect approaches). Although these two accounts{\textquoteright} predictions typically converge, we identified an understudied contrast for which the two views make different predictions. Specifically, through 3 experiments (1 production, 2 comprehension), we tested the prosody of it-clefts containing string-identical Connected Clauses (-Who sang? -It was [the editor] [that sang]) or Relative Clauses (-Who called? -It was [the editor [that sang]] ([that called])) that have semantically focused elements of different structural sizes. Connected Clauses attach high in the structure and are given. Relative Clauses are assumed to convey background information, but here they are nested within the focused element and also in focus. Our production results showed a localized prominence on the rightmost stressable syllable of the Relative Clause, which is in line with indirect accounts. The comprehension studies further showed that i) clefted Relatives trigger garden-path effects in reading, but ii) garden-paths disappear when prosody is present. The studies support indirect accounts by employing more complicated structural configurations. ",

keywords = "Prosody, Language Processing, Ambiguity resolution",

author = "Buhan Guo and Nino Grillo and Sven Mattys and Andrea Santi and Shayne Sloggett and Giuseppina Turco",

year = "2024",

language = "English",

note = "Speech Prosody 2024, SP2024 ; Conference date: 02-07-2024 Through 05-07-2024",

url = "https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/sp2024",

}

TY - CONF

T1 - The prosody of Clefted Relatives

T2 - Speech Prosody 2024

AU - Guo, Buhan

AU - Grillo, Nino

AU - Mattys, Sven

AU - Santi, Andrea

AU - Sloggett, Shayne

AU - Turco, Giuseppina

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - The well-attested association between information structure and the acoustic properties of sentences can be captured by either assuming a direct mapping between semantics and acoustics or invoking the mediation of phonological processes operating on well-defined prosodic domains (indirect approaches). Although these two accounts’ predictions typically converge, we identified an understudied contrast for which the two views make different predictions. Specifically, through 3 experiments (1 production, 2 comprehension), we tested the prosody of it-clefts containing string-identical Connected Clauses (-Who sang? -It was [the editor] [that sang]) or Relative Clauses (-Who called? -It was [the editor [that sang]] ([that called])) that have semantically focused elements of different structural sizes. Connected Clauses attach high in the structure and are given. Relative Clauses are assumed to convey background information, but here they are nested within the focused element and also in focus. Our production results showed a localized prominence on the rightmost stressable syllable of the Relative Clause, which is in line with indirect accounts. The comprehension studies further showed that i) clefted Relatives trigger garden-path effects in reading, but ii) garden-paths disappear when prosody is present. The studies support indirect accounts by employing more complicated structural configurations.

AB - The well-attested association between information structure and the acoustic properties of sentences can be captured by either assuming a direct mapping between semantics and acoustics or invoking the mediation of phonological processes operating on well-defined prosodic domains (indirect approaches). Although these two accounts’ predictions typically converge, we identified an understudied contrast for which the two views make different predictions. Specifically, through 3 experiments (1 production, 2 comprehension), we tested the prosody of it-clefts containing string-identical Connected Clauses (-Who sang? -It was [the editor] [that sang]) or Relative Clauses (-Who called? -It was [the editor [that sang]] ([that called])) that have semantically focused elements of different structural sizes. Connected Clauses attach high in the structure and are given. Relative Clauses are assumed to convey background information, but here they are nested within the focused element and also in focus. Our production results showed a localized prominence on the rightmost stressable syllable of the Relative Clause, which is in line with indirect accounts. The comprehension studies further showed that i) clefted Relatives trigger garden-path effects in reading, but ii) garden-paths disappear when prosody is present. The studies support indirect accounts by employing more complicated structural configurations.

KW - Prosody

KW - Language Processing

KW - Ambiguity resolution

M3 - Paper

Y2 - 2 July 2024 through 5 July 2024

ER -