COMPARISON OF PITCH RANGE IN FINNISH (L1) AND RUSSIAN (L2)

Riikka Ullakonoja
University of Jyväskylä

ID 1498
[full paper]

The aim of the present study is to investigate, whether the pitch range of a speaker can vary according to the language he speaks. The hypothesis is tested on Finnish university students studying Russian as a second language before and after their stay in Russia. The global pitch range (max – min) is determined as well as the pitch range in different types of utterances (declarative, question, exclamation) also by superimposing pitch contours. It was discovered that the L2 learners have a narrower pitch range in L1 and L2 and less variable pitch. However, the results suggest that L2 experience seems to help most students to produce more native like pitch range, especially in questions.