Additives pitching in: L*+H signals ordered Focus alternatives

Authors

  • Alexander Göbel University of Massachusetts, Amherst

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3765/salt.v29i0.4612

Abstract

Approaches to the meaning of intonational meaning differ in associating each subcomponent with a meaning that remains invariant across contours (e.g. Pierrehumbert & Hirschberg 1990) or treating a contour as contributing its meaning holistically (e.g. Goodhue et al. 2015). This paper argues for a common core of the L*+H pitch accent across two intonation contours, the Rise-Fall-Rise (RFR, e.g. Ward & Hirschberg 1985), and a novel contour coined the Downscale-Contour (DSC). Both contours are analyzed as indicating the presence of an alternative with respect to a scale derived from the QUD, but differ in the relative strength of this alternative, with the DSC indicating a weaker and the RFR a stronger one.

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Published

2019-12-09

Issue

Section

Articles