Acoustic markers of syllabic stress in Spanish excellent oesophageal speakers

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation is to explore the use by Spanish excellent oesophageal speakers of acoustic cues to mark syllabic stress. The speech material has consisted of five pairs of disyllabic words which only differed in stress position. Total 44 oesophageal and 9 laryngeal speakers were recorded and a computerised designed ad hoc perceptual test was run in order to assess the accurate realisation of stress. The items produced by eight excellent oesophageal speakers with highest accuracy levels in the perception experiment were analysed acoustically with Praat, to be compared with the laryngeal control group. Measures of duration, fundamental frequency, spectral balance and overall intensity were taken for each target vowel and syllable. Results revealed that Spanish excellent oesophageal speakers were able to retain appropriate acoustic relations between stressed and unstressed syllables. Although spectral balance revealed as a strong cue for syllabic stress in the two voicing modes, a different hierarchy of acoustic cues in each voicing mode was found.