Describing the intonation of speech acts in Brazilian Portuguese: Methodological aspects

This chapter details a methodology based on the notion of close-copy and equivalent-
copy (’t Hart 1991), showing how systematic modifications of pitch contours using
resynthesis techniques allow for testing the phonological and/or expressive nature
of prosodic changes for speech-act performances. The methodology is illustrated
with examples of prosodically performed speech acts in Brazilian Portuguese. A
perception test shows that listeners are able to discriminate between these speech
acts on prosodic cues alone. Then systematic modifications of their pitch contours
are detailed and synthesized. Perceptual validation of these productions shows: (1)
the relative importance of pitch versus intensity and duration for these expressions;
and (2) the importance of each turning point along the stylized pitch contour, both
in terms of pitch height and segmental anchoring. The results support the need
for three pitch levels for the phonological description of speech acts in Brazilian
Portuguese. They also show the importance of the segmental anchoring of valleys
for the acceptability of contours.