Subject: sometimes behave so strangely From: Andrea Perticone <kukypert@xxxxxxxx> Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 10:40:31 -0300 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_00E2_01C71F6C.46FA5B50 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Dear list, I'm neither an expert in audiology or music perception, so my apologies = if what I'll say is too obvious or unsubstantial. Eliot Handelman wrote: I think part of the solution is to recognize that Diana actually IS = singing, which could explain why the effect is robust. =20 I think Diana is singing, too. The sometimes behave so strangely bit = sounded like music to me from the very first time, i.e. before I got to = hear the repetitions (I had no idea what the whole thing was about so I = can't say I perceived it that way because I was expecting it to sound = like that). Then I read the list postings. To my mind, this is more music than speech. To begin with, the = intonation contours in each word are rather flat .The F0 contour of = sometimes behave so strangely looks pretty much like the so-called = stylised "call contour" (Ladd, 1996). From a perceptual point of view, = the pitch variation within each accented syllable is almost negligible. = "times", "have" "strange" and "ly", sound nearly monotonous. There isn't = much variation across successive syllables, either. (e.g. "sometimes" = seems to be said practically on a level tone). Most speech -the one that = doesn't sound so "musical " - tends to show appreciable intra- and = intersyllabic and even intra-segmental pitch variations. Besides, there is the duration factor. I think that the relative = duration of the syllables also contributes to its sounding like music = -the T=C1ta-taT=C1-ta-T=C1ta (if you know what I mean...). In my humble opinion, the repetition makes the listener more aware of = the music-like features. But the repetition per se may not be = responsible for the sing-song effect. I played around with the sound = file on Praat, varying pitch within and across syllables and altering = the relative durations until it stopped sounding like music. No matter = how many times I replay this new version, it definitely doesn't sound = like singing... Best regards, Andrea Perticone ------=_NextPart_000_00E2_01C71F6C.46FA5B50 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; = charset=3Diso-8859-1"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Dear list,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I'm neither an expert in = audiology or music=20 perception, so my apologies if what I'll say is too obvious or=20 unsubstantial.</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Eliot Handelman wrote:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>I think part of the solution is to recognize that Diana actually IS = singing, which could explain why the effect is robust. </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I think Diana is singing, too. The = <EM>sometimes=20 behave so strangely</EM> bit sounded like music to me from the very = first time,=20 i.e. before I got to hear the repetitions (I had no idea what the whole = thing=20 was about so I can't say I perceived it that way because I was expecting = it to=20 sound like that). Then I read the list = postings.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>To my mind, this is more music than = speech. To=20 begin with, the intonation contours in each word are rather flat .The F0 = contour=20 of <EM>sometimes behave so strangely </EM>looks pretty much like the = so-called=20 stylised "call contour" (Ladd, 1996). From a perceptual point of = view, the=20 pitch variation within each accented syllable is almost negligible. = "times",=20 "have" "strange" and "ly", sound nearly monotonous. There isn't = much=20 variation across successive syllables, either. (e.g. = "sometimes" seems=20 to be said practically on a level tone). Most speech -the one that = doesn't sound=20 so "musical " - tends to show appreciable intra- and intersyllabic and = even=20 intra-segmental pitch variations.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Besides, there is the duration factor. = I think that=20 the relative duration of the syllables also contributes to its sounding = like=20 music -the T=C1ta-taT=C1-ta-T=C1ta (if you know what I = mean...).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>In my humble opinion, = the repetition makes the=20 listener more aware of the music-like features. But the repetition = <EM>per=20 se</EM> may not be responsible for the sing-song effect. I played around = with=20 the sound file on Praat, varying pitch within and across syllables and = altering=20 the relative durations until it stopped sounding like music. No matter = how many=20 times I replay this new version, it definitely doesn't sound like=20 singing...</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Best regards,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Andrea Perticone</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_00E2_01C71F6C.46FA5B50--