Language Research

Many studies have shown the effect of prosodic cues on the disambiguation of syntactically ambiguous sentences. Following previous research, this study investigated the prosodic disambiguation ... Read More Many studies have shown the effect of prosodic cues on the disambiguation of syntactically ambiguous sentences. Following previous research, this study investigated the prosodic disambiguation of sentences with different syntactic attachments (low and high attachments) in Persian. For this purpose, two types of syntactically ambiguous strings with distinct meanings were examined. Expressions Type 1 was composed of N1-N2-conj-N3, and Expressions Type 2 was composed of N1-conj-N2-Adj. In a speech production experiment, 264 utterances were produced by 11 female Persian speakers (6 sentences × 2 conditions × 2 repetitions × 11 speakers). All the target expressions (conjoined noun phrases) were extracted, word-segmented by hand in Praat software, and subjected to phonetic analysis. The duration and mean f0 of the segmented words were measured and compared across two conditions. Differences in measurements were statistically analyzed by using Independent t-test. Generally, the outcomes of this paper supported the previous studies. The speakers resolved the ambiguity by significantly altering their production of the utterances in ways consistent with the intended meaning and structure. The statistical comparison revealed a higher pitch excursion on and a longer duration of the target noun phrases in low attachment condition as opposed to high attachment one. Specifically, in Expressions Type 1, the duration of N2, the conjunction, and N3 was longer, and the mean f0 of the conjunction and N3 was higher in the low attachment condition. In addition, a pause was produced between N2 and the conjunction to mark a prosodic boundary. In Expressions Type 2, N1 and N2 duration was longer, and the mean f0 of the conjunction and N2 was higher in the low attachment condition. Moreover, a pause was inserted between N1 and the conjunction to mark a prosodic boundary. In sum, Persian speakers use the insertion of pauses, pre-boundary word lengthening, post-conjunction word lengthening, and f0 rise for disambiguation

Compensatory Lengthening in Persian: A Perception Experiment

Vahid Sadeghi

Volume 2, Issue 2 , March 2011, , Pages 77-94

Abstract

This article addresses the perceptual correlates of compensatory lengthening in Persian. In a perception experiment, duration, spectral tilt measurements H1-H2 and H1-F1 and F0 were ... Read More

Language Research

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Keywords = Duration

Effects of Prosodic Cues on Syntactic Ambiguity Resolution in Persian

Abstract

Compensatory Lengthening in Persian: A Perception Experiment

Abstract