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Phonetic Cues and Dramatic Function Artistic Recitation of Metered Speech

Tsur, Reuven (2002) Phonetic Cues and Dramatic Function Artistic Recitation of Metered Speech. [Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)]

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Abstract

This article attempts a brief synthesis of two of my research areas: sound symbolism and poetic rhythm, focussed on Simon Russel Beale's performance of Gloucester's first soliloquy in Richard III. It explores three structural relationships between phoneti c cues and their effects: redundancy (when several phonetic cues combine to the same effect); conflicting cues (which serve to convey conflicting prosodic effects by the same stretch of speech); and overdetermination (when one phonetic cue serves to conve y a variety of unrelated -- e.g., phonological, rhythmical and expressive -- effects). Iván Fónagy speaks of dual coding of phonetic cues; the same cues convey phonological and emotive information. This article proposes "triple coding": the same cues conv ey phonological, emotive and rhythmic information. The expanded version concerns two instances of stress maxima in weak positions in Gloucester's soliloquy, performed by an outstanding British actor. One of them is the least performable kind, and this is sofar my only chance for studying it. The expansion attempts to explore a methodological innovation too: The audio version of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary offers recordings of the entries by highly trained speakers, to which the artistic reading can be compared. It may serve as a standard from which the artistic recital deviates. But this suggested to me an additional, completely unexpected possibility as well. When Cleanth Brooks speaks of irony, he means "the kind of qualification which the various elements in a context receive from the context". I suddenly realised that this allowed me to explore the kind of qualification which certain intonation contours receive from the context. .e

Item Type:Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)
Additional Information:This is a paper in Cognitive Poetics, and does not fit into anyone of the Cogprint Categories.
Keywords:Richard III; expressive function of vocal style; poetic rhythm; performance; Simon Russel Beale; Iván Fónagy; Stress maxima in weak position; redundancy; conflicting cues; overdetermination;
Subjects:Computer Science > Language
Psychology > Applied Cognitive Psychology
Psychology > Psycholinguistics
Psychology > Perceptual Cognitive Psychology
Linguistics > Pragmatics
Computer Science > Speech
Linguistics > Phonology
ID Code:3235
Deposited By: Tsur, Reuven
Deposited On:18 Oct 2003
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:55

References in Article

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Barney, Tom (1990) "The Forms of Enjambment". University of Lancaster unpublished MA dissertation.

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Recorded Readings

Beale, Simon Russel et al. reading William Shakespeare: Great Speeches and Soliloquies. Naxos AudioBooks Na 20 1512.

The Marlowe Society and Professional Players reading Shakespeare: The Sonnets. Argo ZPR 254.

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