The Role of Prosody in the Determination of the Minimal Textual Unit of the Geneva School Discourse

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The Role of Prosodyin the Determination of the
Minimal Textual Unitof the Geneva School
Discourse Model a Study based on S. C. Diks
Functional Grammar

• C. Portes A. Régnier
• Laboratoire Parole et Langage
• Aix en Provence

8th International Pragmatic Conference, Toronto,
13-18 july 2003
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Introduction

• As has been said in the preceding talk, parsing
  is a central issue concerning prosodic functions.
• Prosodic units and textual units
• Are there autonomous from one another?
• In the Geneva discourse model
• What is the minimal textual unit?
• Does prosody play a role in its determination ?
• What does it mean for a modular conception?

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The unit issue

• Linear constraints on speech production
  syntagmatic sequences of different sizes,
  hierarchically organised
• Cognitive constraints on memory capacity
  (production and perception)
• Production constraints on breathing
• Description constraints (discrete objects to be
  conceptually manipulated)

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Minimal textual unitin the Geneva model

• Roulet et al., 1985
• MTU Searles speech act
• primitive of the structure hiérarchique
  (hierarchical struture)
• Prosody rising and falling intonational
  movements and pauses as structural markers among
  others
• Roulet et al., 2001
• Rubattel (1987) non-prepositional phrases like
  malgré la pluie (in spite of the rain) acts
• Auschlin (1993) same remark for left detached
  phrases
• Berrendonner (1990) mémoire discursive
  (discursive memory)

discourse act the smallest unit limited by a
passing through discursive memory
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A modular model

• Five modules
• Lexical, syntactic, hierarchical, referential,
  interactional
• Formes dorganisation (organizational forms)
• Intersection between different modules or
  organizational forms
• Prosodic information
• Comes from the lexical module (word
  pronounciation)
• Is coupled with syntactic structures into the
  phono-prosodic organization
• Is main part of organisation périodique
  (periodical organization)
• Nolke (1994)
• The virtue of a modular approach consists in the
  fact that each type of phenomenon can be defined
  and analysed totally independently from the other
  types

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Problem with the assumption of independency

• Discourse acts have to be indentified without the
  help of prosody
• A controversial question among the Geneva school
  members
• Simons PhD thesis
• Proposes some hypothesis in order to define a
  prosodic organisational form
• Real inter-relation between prosody and other
  types of information
• Empirical observations concerning constructions
  instables (unstable constructions)
• This talk
• Several types of discourse act which need prosody
  to be identified

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Method

• Establishing the hierarchical structure of a
  45 minute corpora of radio debate (2 journalists
  and 4 invited speakers)
• several cases where prosody is needed to
  determine the boundary of the discourse act
• Syntactical analysis with S.C. Diks functional
  grammar
• Reveals ambiguity and the different possible
  syntactic choices
• Prosodic analysis with ProDiGEs multi-linear
  grid
• Reveals the solution selected by the performance

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Cases of prosodic inter-relation

• Syntactic-semantic ambiguities
• one segment of text could belong to the preceding
  or the following discourse act
• Frequently polysemic adverbs
• Unstable constructions (Simon, 2002)
• Afterwards addition (or right expansion)
• Grouping of potential acts
• Completive constructions of opinion verbs
• One or two discursive acts?

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Syntactic-semantic ambiguities

• 3 syntactic possibilities
• First prosodic cue a long breathing pause
• Second prosodic cue a contrast in register level
• Third prosodic cue a copy of intonational
  cadences a fourth syntactic interpretation

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 Unstable constructions afterwards addition

• Despite the dependence of the adjective on the
  noun, Diks functional grammar allows a  right
  dislocation 
• Prosodic shaping span compression and
  accelerating tempo

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 Unstable constructions grouping of potential
acts

• For Diks grammar, the relative proposition is a
  complement of the noun phrase . But for the
  Geneva model, it is an appositive relative.
• In favour of Dik, prosody shapes a unic entity
  one discursive act
• Prosodic cues pitch range (level and span),
  pauses and tempo

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Completive construction of opinion verbs

• Geneva school model 1 discourse act ( syntactic
  dependency)
• Diks grammar analysis 2 embedded clauses
• Prosody clearly separates
• Downtrend blocked, span and tempo contrasts, tune
  copy
• Accentual arc
• A metadiscursive commentary (a different
  enunciative level)

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Conclusion

• Syntactic semantic ambiguities and unstable
  constructions (afterwards addition, grouping of
  potential acts) prosody is needed to determine
  the boundary of the discourse act
• Completive construction of opinion verbs
  prosodic and enunciative information
  (metadiscursive) plead in favour of a discursive
  boundary against syntactic dependency
• The principle of independency implied by the
  modular assumption is denied by empirical facts
• On the contrary, the systematic use of different
  levels of prosodic markers and their various
  relationship with other kinds of information
  (syntactic, semantic, enunciative, etc.) gives
  arguments in favour of a conjunction/competition
  conception as developed in Aix-en-Provence
  (ProDiGE)

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Thank you for your attention
This presentation is also available online at the
following address http//www.lpl.univ-aix.fr/pr
odige/