Paper

Intonation as a quantifier-free logical interpretation of metrical and prosodic structure

Authors: ,

Abstract

This study views intonation as a quantifier-free (QF) logical interpretation of a metrical and prosodic structure. Under logical transductions, tones in intonational melodies can be interpreted as literal copies of prosodic elements, with their association to TBUs being a local process. The head-prominence intonational pattern in American English can be defined by copying both accented syllables (heads) and phrasal boundaries, whereas the edge-prominence pattern in Seoul Korean was defined by copying only phrasal boundaries (edges). For Tokyo Japanese, lexical pitch accents are defined by copying accented moras, and post-lexical tones by copying phrasal boundaries. This QF interpretation of intonation structure enabled restrictive predictions about computational complexity and typology of intonation. 

Keywords: intonation, quantifier-free, logical interpretation, intonational typology

How to Cite: Joo, H. & Jardine, A. (2025) “Intonation as a quantifier-free logical interpretation of metrical and prosodic structure”, Society for Computation in Linguistics. 8(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/scil.3124