When Semantics meets Phonetics: Acoustical studies of Second Occurrence Focus

A second occurrence (SO) focus is the semantic focus of a focus sensitive operator (e.g. only), but is a repeat of an earlier focused occurrence. SO foci are intonationally distinct from the original occurrence of the material, and are often claimed to lack any intonational marking, e.g. pitch accent (Partee 1999). This apparent dissociation of semantic and intonational focus is commonly used as an argument against theories which make strong assumptions about the representation of focus at the syntax-semantics interface, e.g. Chomsky (1976), Jacobs (1983), Krifka (1992), Rooth (1985) and von Stechow (1989). Contrarily, the phenomenon has been argued to support pragmatic theories of focus, e.g. Roberts (1996), Schwarzschild (1997). We report on the first systematic production and perception experiments to show that SO foci occurring after a nuclear accent are, as Rooth (1996b) has claimed, prosodically marked. We find (i) there is no mean pitch rise on SO foci; (ii) SO foci are marked by longer duration and greater intensity; and (iii) listeners are able to detect the difference between SO foci and non-foci. On the basis of these results, we argue that SO focus is compatible with theories of focus interpretation that it has been claimed to contradict. We also show that the phenomenon is of significance for intonational phonology, specifically as regards prosodic prominence in the post-nuclear domain (e.g. Ladd 1996).