Multimodal analysis of political communication represents a significant domain of study within contemporary linguistics. The article investigates correlation between terminal tones and kinesic means in British and German parliamentary discourse. The study focuses on terminal tones and accompanying accentuating movements in speeches delivered by members of the UK House of Commons and the German Bundestag. The research material comprises video recordings of parliamentary speeches subjected to electroacoustic, perceptual (auditory and visual), and comparative types of analysis. The experiment established acoustic parameters of politicians’ speech, determined frequency of different types of terminal tones, and identified tone-kinesic patterns characteristic of British and German parliamentary discourse. The acoustic data were statistically processed in order to determine average values of fundamental frequency, intensity, and average syllable duration for each group of speakers. The analysis was conducted with consideration of the gender factor. The findings demonstrate differences in the degree and methods of accentuation in British and German parliamentary speech. It was established that fundamental frequency values in parliamentary discourse (for all groups except British female politicians) exceed the average levels reported for neutral speech in specialized literature. The data indicate higher fundamental frequency values in German political speech, whereas members of the House of Commons demonstrate a slower speech tempo. Differences were also observed in the distribution of terminal tones. Terminal tones in both parliaments are accompanied by kinesic means; however, British parliamentary speech is characterized by more active use of hand gestures and head movements, while German discourse more frequently involves body movements. The results reveal culturally and institutionally conditioned features of tone-kinesic interaction in parliamentary communication.
Tatiana Olegovna Iakovleva (Sun,) studied this question.