A Generalized Concept of Prosody

According to the C/D model, the base function for each utterance comprises a skeletal structure represented by a syllable-boundary pulse train and melodic control functions that are linked to individual syllables. The melody includes vocalic, tonal, and some other control variables. The concept of prosody may be generalized to include all base function aspects according to this concept. Melodic time functions are represented by phonetic status contours, dimension by dimension, i. e. syllable-based pseudo-step functions with occasional interpolations for phonological underspecification. The quasistationary target values for each syllabic segment are enhanced or reduced according to the syllable magnitude. Consonantal perturbation functions represented by elemental gestures are superimposed onto these control variables of the base function and their ballistic movement patterns as impulse responses to each syllabic excitation pulse have amplitudes according to the syllable magnitude. Jaw opening cotains a prosodic component that directly reflects the syllable magnitude, which determines an abstract syllable duration. Some examples of mandibular, vocalic and tonal variables associated with durational variation are discussed with empirical data, referring to two recent PhD dissertations by Caroline Menezes and Patrizia Bonaventura.