Abstract
Synchronous Speech (Syn-S), obtained by having pairs of speakers read a prepared text together, has been shown to result in interesting properties in the temporal domain, especially in the reduction of inter-speaker variability in supersegmental timing [F. Cummins, ARLO 3, 7–11 (2002)]. Here we investigate the effect of synchronization among speakers on the intonation contour, with a view to informing models of intonation. Six pairs of speakers (all females) read a short text (176 words) both synchronously and solo. Results show that (1) the pitch accent height above a declining baseline is reduced in Syn-S, compared with solo speech, while the pitch accent location is consistent across speakers in both conditions; (2) in contrast to previous findings on duration matching, there is an asymmetry between speakers, with one speaker exerting a stronger influence on the observed intonation contour than the other; (3) agreement on the boundaries of intonational phrases is greater in Syn-S and intonation contours are well matched from the first syllable of the phrase and throughout.
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