Perception of question intonation and facial gestures

This paper presents results from two perception experiments designed to investigate intonational cues and visual facial cues to interrogative mode in Swedish. Results from the intonation test indicate that both a widened F0 range on a final focal accent and time alignment properties of the F0 rise and peak make important contributions to the interrogative percept. Results from the audiovisual test showed that vertical head nodding and smiling tended to reinforce declarative intonation. Interrogative intonation, however, was not strengthened by hypothesized interrogative visual cues consisting of eyebrow movement and slow vertical head movement. The interaction between audio and visual cues for accentuation and interrogative mode is discussed and some implications of adding the visual modality to the traditional definition of question intonation are explored.