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Example of L+H*

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Example of L*+H

In both files, there is a stretch of low F0 followed by a rise to a high F0 peak, then a fall to another low stretch, and finally a rise to a higher F0. Look closely at how the pitch track aligns with the syllables of the word Amelia. In the L+H* example, the H tone aligns with the prominent syllable -mel-; the F0 rises through the prominent syllable, with the peak occurring at the end of the syllable. This alignment of the H tone with the prominent syllable corresponds to the perception that pitch accent is one of a High tone prominence-the "starred" tone in this bitonal pitch accent is the H (L+H*). In the L*+H example, the tone aligning with the prominent syllable -mel- is Low: while there is a peak of a High tone, this H tone occurs at the very end of the non-prominent syllable -ia (at the end of Amelia). The alignment of the L tone with the prominent syllable corresponds to the perception that pitch accent is one of a Low-tone prominence-the "starred" tone in this bitonal pitch accent is the L (L*+H). We'll see later that F0 peaks and valleys do not invariably occur on the accent syllable; here we simply illustrate that the L*+H / L+H* contrast is generally reflected in peak alignment differences.

2.5.2.1: L* vs. L*+H
The difference between the single-tone L* pitch accent and the bitonal L*+H pitch accent is highlighted in the files <AknewhimLstar2> and <AknewhimLstarH2>. These two files, like the pair of files discussed above, have labels that differ only in the type of pitch accent, here, L* and L*+H. In the L*+H example, shown above, the Low target of the prominent syllable (the -mel- of Amelia) is followed by a rise to a peak, corresponding to the +H portion of the pitch accent. (The subsequent Low and the final rise of the contour is due to the Low phrase accent and High boundary tone, L-H%). The example with the single-tone L*, <AknewhimLstar2>, also shows the F0 being low on the pitch-accented syllable (again, the -mel- of Amelia). However, the F0 stays low and flat following the prominent syllable all the way through the end of the word Amelia, and then through the word knew, until the rise to the H% boundary tone at the end of the word him. This difference between the two files reflects the difference between L* L-H% and the bitonal-containing sequence L*+H L-H%.

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Example of L*

2.5.2.2: H* vs. L+H*
In the file <amelia-p2> the now familiar contour H* L-L% is contrasted with a contour containing the bitonal pitch accent L+H*. In both cases, the prominent syllable, the –mel- of the word Amelia, has a high tone associated with it, and end of the two contours is very similar, as the pitch falls from the high tone into the L-L%. The difference between the two contours is apparent in the pitch events leading up to the peak associated with the High tone of the prominent syllable. In the second intonational phrase of the file, with the tone labels L+H* L-L%, notice the sharp rise in pitch at the beginning of the vowel of the prominent syllable, -mel-, towards the peak of the High tone. The F0 at the beginning of the word, while starting at a mid-range, falls through the word-intitial vowel A- and the following /m/ to a fairly low level. This Low tone is the L of the bitonal pitch accent L+H* in this example. The first intonational phrase in the same file <amelia-p2> gives a contrasting example of the single-tone H* pitch accent on the same word. Compared to the L+H* version, the rise into the peak of the prominent High tone is gradual from the word onset. While there appears to be a slight fall of the F0 into the /m/ of Amelia, this most likely a segmental effect. In any case, the F0 before the H* is not as low as it is for the L+H*.

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Example of H* and L+H*

The file <marmalade5> shows another example of the L+H* L-L% contour, this time on the text Marianna made the marmalade. Compare this to the previous example <marmalade1> which has the tone labels, H* L-L%. In both files, <marmalade1> and <marmalade5>, the pitch accent is aligned with the prominent syllable, orthographically the second -a- of Marianna. In <marmalade5>, with the bitonal pitch accent L+H*, the pitch track shows a gradual fall from the beginning of the word Marianna, reaching a low in the –ri- syllable, then a sharp rise into the High tone of the prominent syllable. In <marmalade1>, with the H* pitch accent, the rise to the peak of the H tone on the pitch-accented syllable is more gradual, starting from the beginning of the intonational phrase and across the first two syllables of the word. (The slightly higher F0 at the very beginning of the word Marianna is due to effects of the segment /m/, which the labeller should try to ignore in interpreting the tones of the intonational contour. Since the labeller can generally hear the intended contour "through" these segmental effects, this is an example of how listening trumps looking in labelling.)

Play marmalade5.wav: - download marmalade5.TextGrid


Example of L+H* L-L%

Play marmalade1.wav: - download marmalade1.TextGrid


Example of H* L-L%

Appendix to 2.5.2: Pitch Accent and Meaning Speakers often use the L+H* pitch accent in contexts of contrast, although its use is not limited to such cases. For example, when saying the words Marianna made the marmalade, the contour with L+H* might be used in a context where the speaker is trying to make it clear that the person who made the marmalade was Marianna, as opposed to some other person. The example with a H* pitch accent could be expected in response to a question about who made the marmalade: L+H*, as in <marmalade5> Speaker A: Bob made the marmalade. Speaker B: (No.) Marianna made the marmalade. H*, as in <marmalade1> Speaker A: Who made the marmalade? Speaker B: Marianna made the marmalade. However, it is important to remember that both contours can be used in a variety of contexts, and a specific context will not necessarily lead all speakers to select the same intonation contour. For example L+H* could be used in response to a question, or H* might be used to highlight contrast. back to Chapter 2.5.2 back to top

2.5.2.3: Constraints on the use of the L+H* label
The use of the label L+H* is constrained to places where a low F0 cannot be accounted for by some other tonal event. For example a rise from a Low tone to a High-toned prominent syllable can sometimes be accounted for by a preceding L-L% phrase accent/boundary tone combination, or a preceding L* pitch accent. Cases of L+H* are clearest when there is at least one non-pitch-accented syllable preceding the prominent syllable, where the L tone of the pitch accent can be realized on preceding syllable(s). Such is the case in the examples discussed above. However, when the pitch accented syllable is the first syllable of an Intonational Phrase, and there is less clear evidence of an initial Low tone (i.e., the F0 rise is small), conventions of ToBI labelling prescribe using the simple H*. For example, in the file <annamarried>, the tone on the pitch accented syllable An- of Anna in the first Intonational Phrase of the file is perceptually quite similar to the L+H* on the Le- of Lenny in the second IP. However, the pitch accent labelled on Anna is H*, because there is not sufficient evidence of a Low tone to justify the use of L+H*.

You may have noticed the pitch track at the end of the word Lenny in this file <annamarried> shows strange squiggles and spikes after the initial smooth fall from the peak into the L-L% phrase accent/boundary tone sequence. This region corresponds to the place in the sound file where the speaker's voice growls or sounds irregular or creaky, which is a common occurrence when speakers produce a pitch that is at the lower end of their pitch range, such as with L-L%. In these regions, pitch periods come at irregular intervals, so there is no regular period for the F0 tracker to track. This irregularity in the pitch periods produces irregularity in the pitch track, i.e. a pitch tracking error, which is a reflection of the difficulty of measuring F0 in regions where a speaker's voice becomes creaky. Interestingly, you may find that you can nevertheless get a perceptual impression of falling F0 in such regions.

Play annamarried.wav: - download annamarried.TextGrid


Example of H* vs. L+H*

Instructions for exercises:

A. listening exercises:
L*+H vs. L+H*:
1. ex5a1millionaire: this file contains 2 versions of the same text ("only a millionaire"), produced by the same speaker, that differ by the pitch accent on the word millionaire. Listen to them (before you look) and try to identify which has L+H* and which has L*+H.
2. ex5a2proenglish: this file contains 2 versions of the same text ("Eileen’s pro-English), produced by 2 different speakers, that differ by the pitch accent on the word Eileen. Listen to them (before you look) and try to identify which has L+H* and which has L*+H.

B: labelling exercises:
Label the following files, using the TextGrids provided. (For each file, you should find TextGrid with the words tier filled.) These files each contain multiple Intonational Phrases. Phrases may have more than one pitch accent. (Use any label listed in the inventory at the end section 2-5, as listed in "Introduced so far." However, these files concentrate on the L+H* vs H* distinction, so expect to find many of those.)
1. ex5b1bananas ("a banana" "another banana" "a banana" "another banana" "another little banana"-twice "another greenish banana") 2. ex5b2amelias (3 versions of "Amelia knew him")
3. ex5b3veg1 ("some beans"-twice, "some arugula" 3 times)
4. ex5b4veg2 ("an onion"-twice, "no an onion" "no a rutabaga" "a rutabaga"-twice)

C: Further exercises: Context, contrast and variation:
1. Read (and record) the following words and short phrases in sequence:

a.
a melody
another melody
another little melody
beautiful
a beautiful melody
a strangely beautiful melody
another strange melody
an unusual melody

Next, read the same words and phrases in a different order, such as the one below:

b.
beautiful
a strangely beautiful melody
another melody
another little melody
a melody
another strange melody
an unusual melody
a beautiful melody

Look at (and try to label if you’re feeling adventurous) each of the pairs of short phrases (from the first order compared to the second order). Did you produce them with the same intonation both times? Think about what might lead to the variation, if you see it.

For a further look at your own variation or consistency, go back at a later time and read the same 2 sequences and see if you produce them the same way you did the first time.

2. Produce (and record) the same text in response to a variety of context questions and statements. This works best with a partner to produce the contexts. Use any or all of the contexts below—feel free to add your own. (Tired of Marianna and her marmalade? Make up your own contexts and response.) Note: try not to just read the sentence, but to produce it as a response. As a point of comparison first produce the sentence as you would read it without any particular background or context: "Marianna made the marmalade."

a.
A: Who made the marmalade?
B: Marianna made the marmalade

b.
A: What did Marianna make?
B: Marianna made the marmalade

c.
A: The marmalade Marianna bought is fabulous.
B: Marianna made the marmalade

d.
A: Bob made some great marmalade.
B: Marianna made the marmalade

e.
A: Who made what?
B: Marianna made the marmalade, Bob made the jelly, and Amelia made the jam.

f.
A: Marianna always makes either marmalade or salsa. What did she make this time?
B: Marianna made the marmalade

g.
A: Marianna made great marmalade.
B: Marianna made the marmalade? I thought she was allergic to citrus fruits.

Compare your various renditions (and label as many of them as you can). How did they vary by context? Did you find, for example, that some contexts led you to produce L+H* vs H*? Did some contexts result in more pitch accents in the sentence? Did you see different boundary tones?

save your soundfiles as .wav files, and any associated TextGrids, named with "ex5c" , the exercise number, your initials, and a number or keyword if you produce more than one sound file (eg. ex5c2amb2.wav or ex5c2amb_allegic.wav). Upload your files to anita.