Transcript Document

6th NWCL International
Conference
PROSODY AND PRAGMATICS
Preston, 14-16 november 2003
Lexical prominence, melisms and subjectivity :
from automatic annotation to pragmatic functions
Geneviève Caelen-Haumont, Cyril Auran
Laboratoire Parole et Langage
Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France
[email protected], [email protected]
Aims of this study
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Introducing to the MOMEL and INSTMEL procedures
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which supply a system of phonological tones
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to structure the melodic lexical prominence
in order to take advantages of these tools
to study the perlocutory values and functions of this
prominence
within the scope of semantics, pragmatics and prosody
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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1- INTSMEL and tonal coding
Tones automatic labelling procedures
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MELISM procedure involves, under Praat, MOMEL,
QSP and INTSMEL tools (Caelen-Haumont & Auran,
2004)
the resulting curve looks like as composed of entirely
sonorant segments (see examples further)
F0 spline-modelled values are computed every 10 ms
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The INTSINT and INTSMEL procedure
the INTSINT coding supplies a surface phonological
representation of intonation (Hirst & Di Cristo,
1998; Hirst, Di Cristo & Espesser, 2000)
the INTSMEL coding also a surface phonological
representation
not of sentence intonation, but of any lexical item
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its algorithm automatically codes the sequence of MOMEL
target points
coding absolute levels corresponding to fractions (on a
logarithmic scale) of the speaker’s pitch range
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using a set of 9 level symbols {a, s, h, e, m, c, b, i, g}
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automatically grouping them into melism tones (ex: se,
ci, mg …)
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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INTSMEL and melism coding
INTSMEL allows to code any F0 configuration of
lexical item
but in our perspective, its use is restricted to
prominent words coding (melism)
Definition of melism
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lack of a specific term (nor prominence, salience, range,
pattern, neither focus are conducive)
melism borrowed from the domain of singing
refers to a melodic figure spreading over the duration of the
word, with a suite of different F0 levels
related to the acoustical and melodic form
express the notion of a structured shape with an adapted
granularity
in terms of phonological structure, i.e. of a tonal system
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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What about the acoustic features of a melism ?
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A large F0 excursion
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internal, or external if an F0 break occurs within
the previous / following word),
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spreading over about 10 semitones or more,
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the implication of at least the infra-acute level
 symbolised by level s (or more, a level) in our
tonal system
This high level being often (but not systematically)
accompanied with
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a clear decrease in speaking rate,
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and possibly, a dramatic increase in energy
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Matrix of tones in melismed / standard
words and allotones (Caelen-Haumont and Auran, 2004)
tone acute supra high elevated
e
a
s
h
mid centred bottom infra grave
m
c
b
c
g
a
aa
as
ah
ae
am
ac
ab
ai
ag
s
sa
ss
sh
se
sm
sc
sb
si
sg
h
ha
hs
hh
he
hm
hc
hb
hi
hg
e
ea
es
eh
ee
em
ec
eb
ei
eg
m
ma
ms
mh
me
mm
mc
mb
mi
mg
c
ca
cs
ch
ce
cm
cc
cb
ci
cg
b
ba
bs
bh
be
bm
bc
bb
bi
bg
i
ia
is
ih
ie
im
ic
ib
ii
ig
g
ga
gs
gh
ge
gm
gc
gb
gi
gg
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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5 boundary tones + neutralisation of F0
variations = 9 levels
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Since Delattre 1966, the speaker’s range is usually divided
into 4 levels
but a precise study of the shapes of melisms requires greater
precision for the description of F0 variations
the question of the neutralisation of the F0 variations (say,
the allotones) has to be resolved
according to the INTSINT procedure, the allotones are set
within a span of a fourth of a level
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above and below each tonal boundary (i.e. in the whole, a
semi-level).
The 5 boundary tones, with their respective neutralisation
ranges, lead to 9 equal levels (logarithmic scale).
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The 9 levels
a
s
h
e
m
c
b
i
g
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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2- Melisms : meaning, values, functions
Corpus
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Inspired from the HCRC Map Task Corpus (Brown, Anderson,
Shillcock, Yule, 1984)
12 French speakers (6 men, 6 women) X 6 spontaneous dialogues X
15 mn each in a sound-proof room, on separate tracks for each
speaker
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a role played between two persons (a tourist and an employee
of the local tourist office)
involving the management of a conflict of objectives (tourist:
interest in sporting activities  employee: in cultural visits)
aimed at the resolution of specific tasks (dialogue constraints)
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1/ updating the town map
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2/ establishing a program for a visit
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3/ fixing the itinerary for these activities, taking into
account road-works, modified one-way streets, etc.. as it
is today
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Hypotheses
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The present study bears on the output of a single female speaker
(O4)
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From the constraints bearing on the dialogue as defined above,
the hypotheses are the following ones
1 the speaker is subjectively involved in her role of employee
of the tourist office,
2 this involvement will be marked at the F0 level, by melisms,
3 melisms will be related to the lexical items
4 linked to the objectives of the dialogue
5 and the personal motives of the speaker O4
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and the identification
of the dialogue objectives
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From the planned tasks, dialogue objectives can be identified …
through a number of semantic and pragmatic lexical fields
A: the spatial coordinates of the town and the touristic
objects (names and directions),
B the actual elements of spatial, temporal, architectural, and
economic (…) characteristics of the places, objects and
activities (tourist’s and employee’s ones),
C the map updating, of the computer tools (manipulation and
advices)
D the (subjective) appraisal of the touristic objects, of the
tasks (tourist’s task, employee’s task) and argumentation
E dialogue interaction (verbs and adverbs of interaction,
phatic particles)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 1- Selection
out of a total of 1860 words (including both grammatical and
lexical words),
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using MOMEL and INTSMEL procedures trough PRAAT …
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all the items (speaker O4) complying strictly the melism conditions
(especially a and s levels) were selected and labelled
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71 lexical words were pronounced with a melism
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35% of the melisms correspond to a word in group-final
position and
65% to a group-internal lexical word
this study will give no consideration to the melism forms (next
task)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 2- Distribution
Percentage of melisms in function
of the semantic/pragmatic fields of the lexical words.
A
B
17
14
23.9% 19.7%
C
3
4.2%
D
E
19
16
26.8% 22.5%
F
Total
2
2.8%
71
100%
53 A, B, 74.6%
18F: other 25.4%
Categories
C, D, E cf above. Category
elements
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74.6% of the melisms linked to the semantic/pragmatic fields
expressing the objectives of the dialogue
 the hypotheses proposed above are verified
22.5% are linked to the lexicon of discursive exchange
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 3- Lexical illustration
The melisms correspond
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to the lexical description of objective tourist objects
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to the subjective appraisal (D: traditionnal, lovely, exotic,
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to spatial coordinates (A: Berlioz street, faced to, rue
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(B: buttress, furniture, menu, to day …)
good …)
perpendicular street)
to discursive and phatic exchanges (E: d’accord ?, euh, ah
remarque, hein ? …)
Melisms associated with the technical task are quite rare (C:
superpose exactly on …)
G. Caelen-Haumont, C. Auran,
LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 4a- Pictural illustration
500 Hz
MOMEL
200 Hz
h
e m
h
372
238 228
376
237 449417 268
367296
7.5
–0.5 10.6
7.1
7.3
–1.2
e
s s
em mm mh hh he ee es
superposiez
exactement
e
h
Targets
e
Hz
se ee eh hh he
F0 semi-tones
Tones
sur
Lexicon
1.6
P
29.4
32.4
Time (s)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 4b- Pictural illustration
600 Hz
MOMEL
200 Hz
e
268
e
e
m
255 253
m
227 214 227
–2.3
0.6
que vous
avez
m
l’
a
a
537
566
14.6
Targets
Hz
mm–ma–aa
F0 semi-tones
Tones
temps
Lexicon
44.25
45.05
Time (s)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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The melismed words: 4c- Pictural illustration
MOMEL
600 Hz
200 Hz
m
a
s
214
547 503
–2.3
14
ma
aa
juste
as
sh
h
e
s
h
339
269
453
345
1.7
10.7
he
en
ee
es
ss
sh
Targets
Hz
F0 semi-tones
Tones
Lexicon
face
58.45
59.7
Time (s)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and meaning: 1- Perlocutory aims
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Perlocutory aims: the beliefs attached to values and their effect
on the listener
In order to be received in an optimal manner …
the message must be perceived (vs. produced) as the expression
of a belief
and then must carry a subjective dimension, the space of
individual encounter
This subjective dimension is supported by the high F0 level
(melism)
2 levels of beliefs
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the underlying beliefs
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the local and actual beliefs
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and meaning: 2- Beliefs
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The underlying beliefs (task constraints shared by all the 6
employees)
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the need to convince the ‘tourist’ to include cultural visits in
his/her itinerary,
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the desire to help the tourist with
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a choice of activities, of itineraries, providing information
on tourism, the town, gastronomy
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a technical help with the computer interface
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a diplomatic dialogue management
The employee’s main beliefs (O4)
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and meaning: 2- Beliefs
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The employee’s main beliefs (O4)
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derivated from the underlying beliefs, and supported by the
lexical level (cf lexical fields)
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the employee’s (O4) main ones
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a specific cultural tourist object (castle, church, traditional
restaurant, market, shops, etc.) is worth a visit to the
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tourist,
a charateristic (exotic, smart, unique, esthetic ...) of this
object is both shareable and motivating,
an element of the town (roundabout, one way...), a
landmark represent an indispensable knowledge to get more
time, or be more secure
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and meaning: 3- Values
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In fact these beliefs are based on values
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The main values inherited
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either inherited from instructions and assumed tasks,
or specific to the speaker if he/she gets involved in his/her task
personal values reinforce, relay, prolong or extend the
circumstantial values imposed by the instructions
follow the instructions (establish a programme of cultural visits,
update the map, elaborate an itinerary, inform)
The main values introduced by the employee O4
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insistence on natural elements (the park with its trees, rosegardens, ponds, birds etc.),
insistence on traditional elements (market, handcrafts, costumes
etc.),
insistence on esthetic environment
insistence on human interaction (hospitality and atmosphere of
restaurants, friendliness of shopkeepers etc.).
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Melisms and meaning: 4- functions
In the framework of this corpus and study, the functions assumed
by the melism are the following:
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drawing attention to a given lexical item
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because of its informative content (touristic, computing,
strategic, procedural …),
sharing belief about a value by use of the affective pitch
register (especially a and s level)
This affective register is in particular that of emotions and
memories attached to them
Remembering, evocation, suggestion are in this context important
manipulatory values
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Conclusion
Theory and automatic procedures (MOMEL, INTSMEL, PRAAT)
allow to study objectively melisms, their structure and their
functions
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Melism is a preferential means of expression of subjectivity and
basic emotion
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It is the area of inter-individual contact which can lead
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either to a sharing of values when beliefs are common or
compatible,
or to a confrontation when they are not and which may
subsequently result in action
Discourse without melisms is an external discourse which avoids
contact and subjective communication …
a discourse where the individual is in some sense absent.
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LPL, Aix-en-Provence
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Some references
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Caelen-Haumont, G.; Bel, B., 2000. Le caractère spontané dans
la parole et le chant improvisés : de la structure intonative au
mélisme, Revue Parole, 15/16, 251-302, 2000.
Caelen-Haumont, G.; Auran, C., (submitted). The Phonology of
Melodic Prominence : the structure of melisms
Hirst & Di Cristo, A., 1998. Intonation Systems: a survey of
twenty languages. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Hirst, D.; Di Cristo, A.; Espesser, R., 2000. Levels of
Representation and Levels of Analysis for the Description of
Intonation Systems. In Horne, M. (ed.): Prosody: Theory and
Experiment. Text, Speech and Language Technology, 14. Kluwer
Academic Publishers, 51-87.
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