Patterns prosodiques et intentions des locuteurs : le rôle crucial des variables temporelles dans la parole

Abstract
All spoken communications imply a particular intent in the transmission of the content of the message, e.g. simple information, question, approval, regret, admiration... The prosodic patterns which are likely to translate such various intents are frequently studied from an "intonative" standpoint (e.g. melodic contours), but less frequently from a temporal standpoint. The purpose of our study is to define better the time-related regulations of speech when the same statements are expressed by the same speakers but with different intents. The affirmative and interrogative forms of such statements by 12 speakers have been used as reference forms for comparison with expressions of the same statements conveying joy, regret, admiration. The average value of Fo, the melodic contours and the statement durations are measured at the global level of a whole sentence, then at a more local level, word after word, thanks to a sound signal editor, and submitted to statistical analyses. The results provide support for the hypothesis of a gradual construction of specific patterns related to each intention as the message unfolds.