On rhythm in everyday German conversation

Beat clashes in assessment utterances

Bibliographic Data

ID23145689
AuthorsSusanne Uhmann (corresponding author)
Year1996
Pages303-365
Publication date1996-07-11
Open AccessYes
TypeCHAPTER
VenueProsody in Conversation (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherCambridge University Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1017/cbo9780511597862.010
OpenAlexW2106807686
ISBN9780511597862
LanguageEN
Citations received13

This chapter deals with a rhythmical phenomenon that has been described as beat clash in metrical phonology. Beat clashes are highly marked rhythmical structures in which the phonologically unmarked alternation between prominent and non-prominent syllables is cancelled in favour of a succession of prominent syllables. It will be shown that participants in natural German conversation not only let beat clashes happen, but that beat clashes are actively constructed by turning non-prominent syllables into prominent ones. These achieved beat clashes regularly occur within assessment utterances, but seem to be restrained by sequential constraints: beat clashes occur in extended first assessments like stories, news or informings and in seconds to these conversational objects, but they are absent in first and second assessments of assessment pairs. This absence is claimed to be not accidental but systematic and it is accounted for by regarding the operative preference structure of assessments.

Acoustics · Aesthetics · Art · Beat (acoustics) · Conversation · German · Linguistics · Phonology · Physics · Rhythm · Communication · Linguistic Education and Pedagogy · Linguistic research and analysis · Philosophy · Phonetics and Phonology Research · Psychology

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