Emphatic stress - Laboratório de Fonética

Distinguishing emphatic and Prosodic Word initial stresses: evidence from Brazilian Portuguese
+Priscila Toneli, ^Marina Vigário & +Maria B. Abaurre
+Universidade Estadual de Campinas (IEL/ UNICAMP)
^Universidade de Lisboa (Laboratório de Fonética – CLUL/FLUL)
TAL 2014 – The 4th International Symposium on Tonal Aspects of Languages, Radboud University Nijmegen, May 13-16, 2014
Introduction
Question
- In Brazilian Portuguese (BP) initial stress (signaled with a H-tone) is computed with reference to the primary
stress position and depends on the number of pretonic syllables (it requires at least three pretonic syllables)
within a Prosodic Word (PW); it is optional and postlexical (Frota & Vigário, 2000; Tenani, 2002; Fernandes,
- The nature of these two types of stresses in BP and the difference between them if any (topics not
Production task
investigated before in a systematic way in BP).
- A context sentence was presented on a PC screen, followed by a question heard on headphones referring to that
Main goals
sentence; speakers had to answer the question using the material displayed on the screen.
2007a,b; Vigário & Fernandes-Svartman, 2010):
(1) a. governaDOR
b. profeSSOR
|
|
|
H
T*
T*
- To distinguish initial and emphatic stresses in BP in neutral declarative sentences.
(1) The three steps in the production of a sentence with branching PWG in broad focus context:
Method
[Context sentence read on the screen]
- In branching Prosodic Word Group (PWG), formed by more than one PW with the head corresponding the
- 20 read sentences, containing a branching PWG, elicited in a broad focus context; three repetitions per
rightmost PW, initial stress is associated to the initial syllables of both head and non-head PW in branching
sentence;
PWG and constitutes an evidence for the PW domain in BP (Vigário & Fernandes-Svartman, 2010).
- 10 read sentences, , containing a non-branching PWG, elicited in a given information context, included for
(2)
comparison about tonal association;
Os técnicos ensinaram teleprocessamento aos alunos.
‘The technicians taught teleprocessing to the students.’
The corpus
reCÉMaprisioNAdos
| |
|
T* H
T*
[Question heard on headphones]
O que aconteceu?
‘What happened?’
[Target sentence produced]
Os técnicos ensinaram teleprocessamento aos alunos.
‘The technicians taught teleprocessing to the students.
- A branching PWG contains morphological words formed of more than one PW (e.g. root compounds, V+N
- In BP secondary stress assignment essentially signals the beginning of the PW in emphatic contexts
compounds, -mente adverbs and z-avaliative adjectives) and non-branching PWG contains a single PW.
(Abaurre & Galves, 1998; Abaurre & Fernandes-Svartman, 2008; Fernandes-Svartman, 2009);
Speakers:
- In emphatic contexts the initial stress and the ‘H-tone’ can coincide with a secondary stress (Fernandes-
- 3 Female speakers from Cascavel, Paraná
Svartman, 2009);
analysed and 76 sentences not included (mispronounced) with branching PWG); 10 sentences x 3
- In European Portuguese (EP) emphatic stress and initial stress are assigned to the first (or in some cases
speakers x 3 repetitions (79 analysed and 11 sentences not included (mispronounced) with non-branching
the second) syllable of a PW and both are optional (Vigário, 2003);
PWG).
- Emphatic stress: high pitch at the beginning of the word; it highlights the whole word in several Romance
- 10 speakers from Uberaba, Minas Gerais state (Brazil): 10 sentences x 10 speakers x 3 repetitions (215
languages, as in Isto é SUbErbo! ‘This is great!’ (e.g. Vigário, 2003; Hualde, 2007);
analysed and 235 sentences not included (mispronounced) with branching PWG); 5 sentences x 10
- In Spanish two stress phenomena occur in initial syllables on the left of a PW and the pragmatic functions
speakers x 3 repetitions (145 analysed and 5 sentences not included (mispronounced) with non-branching
and intonational contours of theses stresses are, in principle, quite distinct. These phenomena are labeled
PWG.
“rhythmic” and “emphatic” postlexical secondary stress and they are tonally marked (Hualde, 2007).
- Age: between 20 to 30 years old;
state: 20 sentences x 3 speakers x 3 repetitions (104
(2) The three steps in the production of a sentence with non-branching PWG in given information context:
[Context sentence read on the screen]
Os senadores receberam governadores em Brasília.
‘The senators received governors in Brasilia.’
[Question heard on headphones]
Os senadores receberam governadores em Brasília?
‘The senators received governors in Brasilia?’
[Target sentence produced]
(Sim) Os senadores receberam governadores em Brasília?
‘(Yes) The senators received governors in Brasilia?’
Prosodic labeling: Pitch accents and
boundary tones were labeled based on
the inspection of the F0 contour and
perception, using P-ToBI (Frota et al. to
appear).
Figure 1: Map with Uberaba (MG) highlighted
Figure 2: Map with Cascavel (PR) highlighted
Branching PWG - Neutral contexts
 Form: Both emphatic and initial stress are usually produced
Branching PWG – neutral contexts
with a high tone (H), but there are also cases of low-high (LH)
Inicial and emphatic tonal events in branching PWG
PR
MG
and high-low (HL) in both varieties of BP (Paraná – PR – and
(N=104)
(N=215)
7%
12%
Initial stress in non-head PW
Minas Gerais – MG).
(e.g. civiliZAdaMENte ‘civilly’)
 Function:
16%
26%
Initial stress in head PW
(e.g. Luso-moçambiCAnos ‘’luzo-mozambicans)
 Initial stress is an edge phenomenon > delimitative function;
10%
9%
Initial emphatic stress in non- head PW
(e.g. arquilteTOnicaMENte ‘architectonically’)
 Emphatic stress is used to highlight a PW;
3%
24%
Initial emphatic stress in head PW
 Both can occur in neutral contexts.
(e.g. PORtabanDEIras ‘flag beares’)
 Distribution:
24%
18%
Emphatic stress on the stressed syllable of the non-head PW
Figure
5:
Sentence
–
Sim.
Os
pesquisadores
fizeram
Figure 1: Sentence - Os estudantes saíram civiliZAdaMENte do debate
(e.g. MULticulturaLISmo ‘multiculturalism’)
Figure 3: Sentence – Nós saímos eLEtricaMENte da academia ‘We left
 Initial stress is only found in the first and second syllables of a
aportuguesaMENtos dos estrangeirismos ‘The researchers adapted
‘The students left civilly the debate’, produced in neutral context with
full of energy (electrically) the gym’, produced in a neutral context with
6%
6%
Emphatic stress on the stressed syllable of the head PW
(e.g. eLEtricaMENte ‘full of energy’)
some loanwords for Portuguese’, produced in neutral context with an
PW and requires a minimum number of pretonic syllables - at
emphatic stress, associated to the first syllable of non-head PW of
an emphatic stress associated to the stressed syllable of the head PW
Figure 5: Sentence – A garota observava PORta-banDEIras no desfile ‘The girl looked at flag bearers at the parade’,
produced
in –a by
neutral
context
with an
precedingNA
thefrom
stressed
from
MG.associated to the first or second syllable of PW - by speaker
initial
stress
branching
PWG
speaker
AR from
PR.emphatic stress on pretonic syllable immediately
– by speaker
MG. syllable on head PW (PORta)PW1(banDEIras)PW2, by a speaker
Table 1 – Initial and emphatic tonal events on branching
least three pretonic syllables in both varieties of BP;
CR from PR.
PWG in contexts eliciting broad focus (new information)
 Emphatic stress can be associated with any pretonic syllable
– Figures 1-4.
and also with the stressed syllable within a PW ;
 No stresses have been identified in post-tonic syllables in
Non-Branching PWG – Neutral contexts
none of varieties in BP;
Inicial and emphatic tonal events in non-branching PWG
PR
MG
(N=79)
(N=145)
 Both types of stresses occur in branching and non-branching
9%
30%
Initial stress in PW
PWG and are optional in the two varieties (see 1, 2, 3 and 4);
(e.g. aportuguesaMENto ‘adapted loanfwords for Portuguese’)
Results
Initial emphatic stress in PW
(e.g. diploMAtas ‘diplomats’)
1%
Emphatic stress on the stressed syllable of the PW
(e.g. baTAta ‘potato’)
1%
3%
4%
Table 2 – Initial and emphatic tonal events on nonbranching PWG in contexts eliciting broad focus (given
information) – Figures 5-6.
Discussion & conclusions
Non-braching PWG - Neutral contexts
 The same distribution for the emphatic stress and the initial
stress was found in non-branching PWG in both varieties;
 The same variation of tonal choice at the beginning of PW: Htone or LH or HL tones.
Figure 2: Sentence - Os brasileiros receberam LUso-moçambiÇAnos na
reunião ‘The Brazilians received luso-mozambicans at the meeting’,
produced in neutral context with an initial stress associated to the first
syllable of head PW and an emphatic stress on the stressed syllable of
non-head PW, by speaker AR from PR.
Hypotheses and Future research
Selected references
- Our results suggest that location within the word and function clearly distinguish between - It is possible that the emphatic stress found in neutral sentences is
emphatic stress and initial stress, as summarized below:
also found in unstressed and stressed syllables of sentences
(i) Emphatic stress assignment (optional): Emphatic stress is assigned to any pretonic syllable, produced in focus-eliciting context; this may explain some of the
results in Toneli, Vigário & Abaurre (2013);
irrespective of its distance to the stressed syllable; also occurs in the stressed syllable of PW;
(ii) Initial stress assignment (optional): Initial stress occurs in the first or second syllable of PW, - Furthermore, factors other than semantic context may also
and it is sensitive to rhythmic conditions (at least two syllables are required between the syllable influence speakers in their choice of producing emphatic stress (e.g.
bearing initial stress and the word-stressed syllable).
type and size of PWG; frequency of use of the words and others).
- Both stresses are tonally marked – most often with a H-tone;
Testing the effect of these factors can further inform on the nature
- Initial stress is not perceived as emphatic, differently from emphatic stress;
and phonology of emphatic stress in BP and will be left for future
- Both stresses are also distinct in their function: while emphatic stress is used to highlight a PW, research.
as documented for EP in Vigário (2003), initial stress is an edge phenomenon and may
contribute to signal PW initial position.
- Emphatic stress is also different from focal stress because it does not mark semantic contrast
nor does it require a particular context in order to be felicitous.
pmtoneli@gmail.com
Figure 4: Sentence – A garota observava PORta-banDEIras no desfile
‘The girl looked at flag bearers at the parade’, produced in a neutral
context with an emphatic stress on the pretonic syllable immediately
preceding the stressed syllable on the head PW - by speaker NA from
MG.
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This research was funded by Fapesp doctoral grant 2010/06748-9 and the FCT Project PTDC/CLE-LIN/119787/2010
Figure 6: Sentence – Os deputados receberam diploMAtas no
congresso ‘The representatives in government received diplomats at the
congress’, produced in neutral context with an emphatic stress
associated to the first syllable of PW - by speaker AC from MG.
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bernadete.abaurre@gmail.com