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N°40 - Prominence in spoken English

27/05/2024

According to Cangemi and Bauman (2020), “few concepts in phonetics and phonology research are as widely used and as vaguely defined as is the notion of prominence”. The authors argue, however, that the integration of phonetics and phonology in the study of linguistic prominence is crucial. Indeed, the two disciplines are often used to put certain elements forward (being thus more prominent) in speech. Similar processes on other linguistic levels can be witnessed, as for instance in syntax with with extrapositions or cleft structures. This issue of Anglophonia will look at how prominent units are distinguished from other units, whether it be from the point of view of production or from that of perception.

In phonetics, “variations in length, pitch, stress and inherent sonority are all factors which contribute to the relative prominence of a unit” (Crystal 2008). In acoustic and prosodic analyses, Herment (2001) and Hanote (2015) identify the following correlates: variations in fundamental frequency, intensity, rhythm and duration of phonemes (vowels and consonants), the presence of pauses and the absence of linking at word onsets (with or without an associated glottal stop). In phonology, the features that define prominence may vary depending on the theory used. Prominence may for instance refer to “the relative weight between constituents in a metrical tree” (Crystal, 2008). From syntactic, utterer-centered and pragmatic points of view, the prominence of an element is not random, but depends on the information content of the element in its context and the choice of the speaker to emphasize it (see, for instance, Cappeau & Hanote 2012; Hanote 2015; Herment 2008, 2011; Herment & Rouveyrol 2014; Videau & Hanote 2015). Thus, prominence most likely involves a complex network of links between the different linguistic levels of (morpho)phonology, phonetics, prosody, syntax and pragmatics. We therefore welcome submissions dealing with any of these fields (as well as with the interface between them) in relation to spoken English across different corpus types and discourse genres, within a variety of theories.

Here are a few ideas contributors may wish to investigate:

What is the relationship between (morpho)phonology, syntax, information structure, speech cohesion and coherence, and prosody in cases of oral prominence? Is the very structure of oral productions (for example, the long preliminary breaths and pauses) enough to convey the salience of speech?

What about the concepts of sonority and markedness when dealing with phonetics (Krämer & Golson 2020)? Is prominence an important issue only for phonetics? When do we start dealing with phonological considerations?

What about stylistic prominence? Can different styles be associated with different ways of marking prominence? Such variation may be approached by comparing different speakers or by examining intra-speaker stylistic variation.

What are the motivations of speakers when they emphasize certain elements in their utterances (pragmatic dimension) and what is the impact of prominence on the listener?

Can the prominence of certain phenomena predict prosodic or phonological patterns?

What are the prominent features displayed by speakers in relation to the variety of English that they speak (whether it is a native or a non-native variety)? To what extent do they form an acoustic signature that allows listeners to associate them with the accent? How do listeners perceive such dialectal prominence? What perceptual phenomena are involved? Which are markers and which are stereotypes? How are they encoded in artistic representations of particular accents of English? Is it necessarily at the suprasegmental level that salience occurs (thanks to intonation variation and emphasis)? What characteristics are perceived by listeners at the lexical and segmental levels? (Cf. the fundamental frequency of fricatives in gay discourse, known as « gay lisp »; e.g. Munson et al. 2006).

In the teaching and learning of English, how do instructors highlight the phonemes, articulations and suprasegmental features that are considered important elements to acquire in order to have a good command of spoken English?

The list above consists of only a few suggestions and is by no means exhaustive.

Fully written paper proposals should be sent before May 15th 2025 to:

Please follow the guidelines for submission available on the following page: https://journals.openedition.org/anglophonia/353

References

Boisseau Maryvonne & Hamm Albert (dir.), Saillance. Volume 2. La saillance en langue et en discours, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté (2015).

Cangemi Francesco & Baumann Stefan, « Integrating phonetics and phonology in the study of linguistic prominence », Journal of Phonetics (2020), article 100993.

Cappeau Paul & Hanote Sylvie (dir.), Focalisation(s). Saillance dans les langues : lexique, syntaxe, prosodie, Presses Universitaires de Rennes (2012).

Cole Jennifer, Mo Yoonsook, Hasegawa-Johnson Mark, « Signal-based and expectation-based factors in the perception of prosodic prominence », Laboratory Phonology 1.2 (2010).

Crystal David, A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, Oxford, Blackwell (2008).

Golston Chris & Krämer Martin, “Diphthongs are micro-feet: Prominence and sonority in the nucleus.”, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting on Phonology 2019, LSA Publications (2020).

Hanote Sylvie, « La saillance à l’oral. Quels marqueurs ? », in Maryvonne Boisseau and Albert Hamm (dir.), Saillance. Volume 2. La saillance en langue et en discours, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté (2015), 31-56.

Herment-Dujardin Sophie, « L’emphase dans le discours spontané anglais : corrélats acoustiques et prosodiques », Thèse de Doctorat, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence : Université de Provence (2001).

Herment-Dujardin Sophie, « Prédication et emphase en anglais : le rôle de la prosodie », Faits de langues 31-32 (2008), 243-252.

Herment Sophie, « Relations entre prosodie et syntaxe : le cas de quelques structures syntaxiques non neutres », Anglophonia / Caliban – French Journal of English Linguistics 30 (2011), 101-117.

Herment Sophie & Rouveyrol Laurent, « Emphase et variation individuelle dans le débat télévisé : paramètres acoustiques et pragmatico-énonciatifs », XIIè colloque international de Villetaneuse sur l’anglais oral, Apr 2014, Villetaneuse, France, 59-70.

Hyman Larry M. « Positional Prominence vs. Word Accent: Is there a difference? », UC Berkeley Phonology Lab Annual Reports(2015).

Inkova Olga (dir.), Saillance. Volume 1. Aspects linguistiques et communicatifs de la mise en évidence dans un texte, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté (2012).

Smith Jennifer L, « Prominence, Augmentation, and Neutralization in Phonology », Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society 26.1 (2000), 247-257

Steffman Jeremy Andrew, « Vowel-initial glottalization as a prominence cue in speech perception and online processing », Laboratory Phonology 14.1 (2023).

Rouveyrol Laurent, « Étude pragmatique de la variation linguistique dans le débat politique médiatisé en anglais, Modalités et marques d’implication du locuteur dans le discours, vers une stylistique de l’interaction télévisée », Thèse de Doctorat, Laboratoire Parole et Langage, Aix-en-Provence : Université de Provence (2003).

Videau Nicolas & Hanote Sylvie, « Pronunciation of Prefixed Words in Speech: The Importance of Semantic and Intersubjective Parameters », Lexis. Journal in English Lexicology, Utterer-centered studies on lexical issues, 9 (2015) 10.4000/lexis.982.

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