Intonation patterns in Tyrolean German: An autosegmental-metrical analysis

This study, based on recently collected empirical data, provides a comprehensive account of the intonation patterns found in Tyrolean German within the framework of an autosegmental-metrical phonological model. Tyrolean German (TG) subsumes Standard High German as it spoken in Tyrol (TSHG) and the Tyrolean dialects (TD).; Key theoretical problems of intonation modeling confronting both past and present intonologists are examined in chapter 2. Past models on German intonation with divergent approaches are discussed, as are more recent theoretical models. Chapter 3 provides a traditional segmental and morphological description of TG with Standard High German as a point of reference.; The autosegmental-metrical model used in this study is described in chapter 4. High and low tones (H and L, respectively) are represented in a separate tier which associates with the text tier. Pitch accents occur in bitonal sequences on the prominent syllables of an utterance. High or low phrase tones can occur after pitch accents; boundary tones mark the end of an intonation phrase.; Chapter 5 examines the various nuclear contours found in TG. The four basic intonation patterns found in TG are the fall (H*+L), the rise (L*+H), the fall-rise (H*+L H%), and the rise-fall (L*+H L-). Variants of the four basic intonation patterns include the rise-fall-rise (L*+FI L- H%) and the level contour (L*+H H-). Prenuclear pitch accents and tone linking rules are examined as well.; A default pitch accent (L*+H L-) is established for TG in chapter 6. The TG default pitch accent contrasts with the H*+L default pitch accent for non-southern German. Syllable lengthening in TG speech is cited as a potential explanation for the later peak alignment of TG pitch accents relative to those found in non-southern Standard High German. Both TSHG and TD have analogous intonation systems with the same default pitch accents.; Finally, declination and downstepping are analyzed in chapter 7. Downstepping may occur locally between pitch accents in a linear fashion or in non-local hierarchical relationships. In non-local relationships, downstepping may take place between two non adjacent tones in two distinct phrasal domains. Appendices provide fieldwork information.