DISCRIMINATION AMONG DECLARATIVE, INTERROGATIVE, AND EXCLAMATORY SENTENCES IN THE INTONATION

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to confirm from the hearing test whether the intonation would have the information to communicate the grammatical categoly of the sentences; Declarative Sentence (D.S.), Interrogative Sentence (IS.)or Exclamatory Sentence (E.S.). It is, furthermore, measured by analyses of fundamental frequency (fo) how acoustical factor would affect the perception of the grammatical categoly on speech. The hearing tests were performed by asking 46 subjects to identify hearing materials as D.S., I.S. or E.S.. Hearing materials were 195 samples which were uttered by 13 speakers. They uttered 5 Japanese sentences which contained D.S. I.S. and E.S.. D.S., I.S. and E.S. of 1 sentences were a sentence of the same strings. In consequence, the ratio of constancy was 92% for D.S., 89% for I.S., 70% for E.S., respectively.For acoustical analyses, samples which obtained the ratio of constancy over 90% in hearing test, were taken. The results of those analyses showed that (1) the distinction between D.S. and I.S. was determined approximately by the ratio of variation of the final fo contour in ramps, (2) the distinction between D.S. and E.S. was determined approximately by the mean ratio of fo contour in ramps, the value of the maximal variation in ramps and speech duration, (3) the distinction between I.S. and E.S. was determined approximately by the ratio of variation of the final fo contour in ramps. From this study, it was clear that the intonation in speech had the information to discriminate D.S., I.S. and E.S., and that there were acoustical factors to differentiate among them by analyses of fundamental frequency.