The Perception of Lexical Pitch Accent in South Kyungsang Korean: The Relevance of Accent Shape

In this study, we tested whether the perception of pitch contours within a lexical pitch accent can be better understood through tonal targets in the Autosegmental-Metrical (AM) model or as an entire tonal configuration identification. Specifically, a categorization experiment was conducted to see how South Kyungsang Korean (SKK) listeners perceive their high (H) and rising (LH) lexical pitch accents. Auditory stimuli were manipulated depending on H peak alignment (earlier vs. later), rise shape (domed or "convex" vs. scooped or "concave"), or segmental duration (shorter vs. longer). Results showed that F0 rise shape and segmental duration influenced SKK listeners' categorization, while no effect of peak alignment was observed. Specifically, they responded to more scooped shapes as an LH, while more domed shapes were mainly assigned to H responses. Moreover, shorter duration induced a H categorization, while longer duration was related to an LH. Results suggest that SKK listeners use both F0 shape and segmental duration as important cues for tonal contrast, though F0 shape shows stronger categorical effect than duration. Thus, F0 shape information is important to determine phonological representation of lexical pitch accents, as opposed to strict tonal alignment defined in Autosegmental-Metrical theory.