The Effect of Pitch Span on Intonational Plateaux

Previous research has indicated that the H* of a nuclear accent may be realised as a flat stretch of contour rather than as a single turning point. The duration of this plateau and its alignment within the accented syllable and foot are affected by the segmental and prosodic structure of the utterance. The present work investigates whether a non-structural variable, namely pitch span, also affects the realisation of the plateau. Speakers imitate all-sonorant utterances in different pitch spans. Both the duration and alignment of the plateau vary with pitch span but in ways different from their variation with prosodic structure. Results also indicate that the beginning and end of the falling movement within the contour are anchored within the syllable and foot for each speaker.