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Intonational rises and dialog acts in the Australian English map task.
Janet Fletcher1, Lesley Stirling, Liana Mushin
1Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia. janetf@unimelb.edu.au
Language and Speech
|April 16, 2003
Summary
Australian English rising intonation patterns reveal distinct functions. High-onset high rises signal information requests, while low-onset high rises indicate other communicative functions, differentiating uptalk from questions.
Area of Science:
- Phonetics
- Linguistics
- Sociolinguistics
Background:
- Intonation plays a crucial role in conveying meaning and grammatical function in spoken language.
- Previous research has explored rising intonation in various English dialects, but specific patterns in Australian English require further investigation.
- Understanding intonational differences is key to deciphering communicative functions and speaker intent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the relationship between specific rising and fall-rise intonation contours and dialog acts in Australian English.
- To determine if Australian English 'uptalk' (statement high rise) functions similarly to question rises in other English varieties.
- To differentiate the communicative functions of various pitch contours in Australian English dialogs.
Main Methods:
- Eight map task dialogs of General Australian English were analyzed.
- Dialogs were coded for speaker turns and dialog acts using a modified SWBD-DAMSL annotation scheme.
- Pitch contours, including high, low, simple, and complex rising and fall-rise tunes, were compared with their corresponding dialog acts.
Main Results:
- Information requests were consistently marked by high-onset high rises ((L+)H*H-H%).
- Low-onset high rises (L*H-H%) were associated with a broader range of forward-looking functions, including statements and directives, and rarely with information requests.
- Low-range rises (L*L-H%) and low-range fall-rises (H*L-H%) primarily served backward-looking functions like acknowledgments and responses.
- Expanded range fall-rises (H*+LH-HE) shared functions with statement high rises and were not associated with yes/no questions.
Conclusions:
- Australian English statement high rises ('uptalk') are more akin to continuation rises than to yes/no question rises found in related English dialects.
- Specific pitch contours in Australian English are reliably linked to distinct dialog functions, differentiating requests, statements, and responses.
- The study highlights the nuanced role of intonation in Australian English pragmatics and discourse structure.