Abstract
The voice is one of the radio news reader’s most important resources when conveying messages. Controlling the voice, through the proper use of prosodic features as the main tool for transmitting the explicit content of a text, provides a referential framework. It is also instrumental in conveying the sense of the text as well as its affective dimension. Ultimately, therefore, it affects the impression forming process of the listener. Therefore, the objective of this study is to contribute to the prosodic characterisation of radio news by identifying the prosodic resources used. The results show that radio news bulletins can be characterised by a wealth of circumflex contours, regular use of the pitch contour or accent and constant stress on the emphatic accent. Although these resources can guide the discursive understanding of the listener at specific moments during speech, their repeated use can lead to counterproductive effects for comprehension and attention.
Highlights
Resumen La voz es uno de los recursos más importantes con que cuenta el presentador de informativos en radio a la hora de transmitir sus mensajes
If we consider that the radio news format offers greater complexity in how information is processed by the listener, the transmission of a multitude of information over a short time highlights the importance of the com municator properly using prosodic traits, including intonation and stress
The results when analysed by radio broadcasting stations were not significant (F=4.06; p=.008), meaning that the degree of pitch ascent, descent and the difference in the circumflex contours was similar between the different radio stations
Summary
The main purpose of this study was to identify the prosodic resources employed in radio news bulletins to contribute to the characterisation of this peculiar prosodic style and to complement the scarce investigations that have been conducted to date. Price (2005) concluded that it is surprising that the same intonation pattern is used independent both of the speech’s purpose and of the relevance of the message’s information Given that these recurring movements, “are not useful to identify the type of phonic group within their intona tion criterion” (Garrido, 1994: 188) and that making almost every word significant is the same as not stressing any word, it is evident that the conclusion to be drawn is that this prosodic style is not the most effective for the listener’s information pro cessing, in agreement with conclusions by Francuz (2010). The results of this study should encourage newscasters and radio broadcasting stations to reflect on the prosodic traits employed in the communication of their radio news bulletins, if they truly wish to favour the attention and under standing of their listeners
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