Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs. “eh”). Phonemes combine to...
Impression Management Techniques IV: Altercasting01:14

Impression Management Techniques IV: Altercasting

Altercasting is a strategic communication technique in which an individual imposes a specific identity or social role onto another person to influence their behavior and shape the interaction. By presuming a role—such as “responsible leader” or “patient person”—altercasting encourages the target to conform to that identity, often aligning their behavior with the expectations associated with the role. The power of this tactic lies in its subtlety; once a role is assigned, it becomes socially...
Conjugation01:19

Conjugation

Conjugation is a form of horizontal gene transfer that primarily occurs in bacteria and some archaea, promoting genetic diversity and adaptation. Bacteria can acquire resistance genes through conjugative plasmids, allowing them to survive antibiotic treatments that would otherwise be lethal. This process involves direct contact between cells through specialized structures such as the sex pilus and is mediated by conjugative plasmids, including the F (fertility) factor.Conjugation requires...
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
Language01:16

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language01:10

Higher Mental Functions of the Brain: Language

Language is a system of communication that allows the expression of thoughts, ideas, and feelings. The brain processes language in both hemispheres.
Language formation and comprehension take place in the dominant hemisphere. The dominant hemisphere is responsible for understanding the meaning of spoken, written, or sign language, as well as the ability to communicate. For most people, the left hemisphere is the dominant one. The right hemisphere, then, gives tone and emotional context to the...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Cyberbullying victimization and adolescent emotional and conduct problems: Roles of loneliness, emotion dysregulation, and self-esteem.

Journal of affective disorders·2026
Same author

Mechanisms linking cyberbullying victimisation to internalising problems in youth: A systematic review and meta-analytic structural equation modelling.

Clinical psychology review·2025
Same author

Navigating Motherhood and Mental Health: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Care-Experienced Mothers.

Qualitative health research·2025
Same author

Teacher-Student Relationships in Childhood as a Protective Factor against Adolescent Delinquency up to Age 17: A Propensity Score Matching Approach.

Crime and delinquency·2023
Same author

"Domestic Drama," "Love Killing," or "Murder": Does the Framing of Femicides Affect Readers' Emotional and Cognitive Responses to the Crime?

Violence against women·2023
Same author

Veterinarians' experiences of treating cases of animal abuse: An online questionnaire study.

The Veterinary record·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

Voice modulations in German ironic speech.

Lisa Scharrer1, Ursula Christmann, Monja Knoll

  • 1University of Muenster, Department of Psychology, Fliednerstrasse 21,48149 Muenster, Germany. lisa.scharrer@uni-muenster.de

Language and Speech
|February 21, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

German ironic criticism uses distinct acoustic cues like lower pitch and longer vowels. These vocal modulations, including vowel hyperarticulation, signal irony, aiding listener comprehension.

More Related Videos

Memorization-Based Training and Testing Paradigm for Robust Vocal Identity Recognition in Expressive Speech Using Event-Related Potentials Analysis
05:48

Memorization-Based Training and Testing Paradigm for Robust Vocal Identity Recognition in Expressive Speech Using Event-Related Potentials Analysis

Published on: August 9, 2024

Manufacturing Process for Non-Adhesive Super-Soft Vocal Fold Models
06:24

Manufacturing Process for Non-Adhesive Super-Soft Vocal Fold Models

Published on: January 5, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects
07:36

Eye Tracking During Visually Situated Language Comprehension: Flexibility and Limitations in Uncovering Visual Context Effects

Published on: November 30, 2018

Memorization-Based Training and Testing Paradigm for Robust Vocal Identity Recognition in Expressive Speech Using Event-Related Potentials Analysis
05:48

Memorization-Based Training and Testing Paradigm for Robust Vocal Identity Recognition in Expressive Speech Using Event-Related Potentials Analysis

Published on: August 9, 2024

Manufacturing Process for Non-Adhesive Super-Soft Vocal Fold Models
06:24

Manufacturing Process for Non-Adhesive Super-Soft Vocal Fold Models

Published on: January 5, 2024

Area of Science:

  • Linguistics
  • Phonetics
  • Psycholinguistics

Background:

  • Ironic speech differs acoustically from literal speech across languages.
  • Acoustic modulations in ironic speech are thought to serve as comprehension cues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify paraverbal (acoustic) features of German 'ironic criticism' that function as irony cues.
  • To compare acoustic measures of ironic and literal speech in German.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded and acoustically analyzed scripted ironic and literal utterances.
  • Utilized 14 female speakers for speech samples.
  • Compared acoustic parameters between ironic and literal speech conditions.

Main Results:

  • Ironic criticism exhibited decreased mean fundamental frequency (F0), higher energy levels, and increased vowel duration compared to literal speech.
  • F0-contours showed only marginal differences between ironic and literal speech.
  • Vowel hyperarticulation was identified as a novel acoustic feature of ironic speech.

Conclusions:

  • Specific acoustic features, including vowel hyperarticulation, characterize German ironic criticism.
  • These vocal modulations act as cues for irony detection, independent of visual cues.
  • Findings contribute to understanding cross-linguistic acoustic correlates of irony.