Three different speaking styles and fifteen regional varieties of Italian are compared in order to evaluate if, and to what extent, inter-speaker variability and contextual variation can condition the temporal dynamics of speech. The analysis bases on %V, ÄC, ÄV, nPVI and rPVI metrics: as the samples of speech tested do not present internal variation in segmental phonology and in phonotactics, very similar values are expected for the three subsets. Interestingly, results show a certain range of variability across the three groups. The phenomenon is due, in our opinion, to factors external to rhythmic structure and related to high-level prosodic domains, which can also influence segmental duration patterns.
Index Terms: Rhythm Class Hypothesis, Italian, speaking styles, regional varieties.
Cite as: Giordano, R., D'Anna, L. (2010) A comparison of rhythm metrics in different speaking styles and in fifteen regional varieties of Italian. Proc. Speech Prosody 2010, paper 826
@inproceedings{giordano10_speechprosody,
author={Rosa Giordano and Leandro D'Anna},
title={{A comparison of rhythm metrics in different speaking styles and in fifteen regional varieties of Italian}},
year=2010,
booktitle={Proc. Speech Prosody 2010},
pages={paper 826}
}