• Speech Sciences
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• v.2
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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.

• Annual Conference on Human and Language Technology
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• 1999.10e
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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.

• 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.12 no.4
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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.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.85-91
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to investigate phonetic realization of flap [r], one of the allophones of Korean /l/. Phonetic realization of a segment is affected by not only its neighboring segments but also its prosodic position in an utterance. This study examined how various prosodic positions affect the phonetic realization of [r]. Effects of the four prosodic positions on the phonetic realization of [r] were examined: utterance initial, Intonation Phrase initial, Accentual Phrase initial, and Accentual Medial positions. Word positional effect was also examined: word initial, medial, and final positions. Acoustic and statistical analyses showed that flap [r] was realized in a variety of phonetic forms: from sonorant(the most reduced form) to short stop(the least reduced form). It was shown that generally. word-initial position is stronger than word-medial position. It was also shown that in many cases, utterance-initial position and intonation-phrase-initial position are stronger than accentual-phrase-initial and accentual-phrase-medial positions. Sonorants were observed more often in the prosodically weaker portions. VOT duration was also shorter in accentual-phrase-initial and accentual-phrase-medial positions.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.11 no.1
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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.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.10 no.4
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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.

• MALSORI
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• no.66
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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.

• Phonetics and Speech Sciences
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• v.5 no.3
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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.

• Speech Sciences
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• v.7 no.4
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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.