On the variability in F0 patterning and the function of F0 timing in languages where pitch cues stress

The basic property of pitch as a cue to linguistic stress is fundamental frequency (F0) change. That leaves room for a lot of variation: in the direction of the change, the amount of change, and its exact coordination with the stressed syllable. Examples (from the literature) from a number of languages and dialects attest that they do indeed exhibit quite striking differences in the stress/F0 relationship. The decisiveness, under certain circumstances, of the timing of F0 events is illustrated by the results of a pilot experiment with a disyllabic Danish word: The location of a two-semitone rise from the first to the second syllable--before or after the intervocalic sonorant consonant--will shift listeners' location of the stress.