APROPOS

Building a prosodic model for poetic speech rhythm

(DFG-funded project since 11/03)

Participants: Jörg Bröggelwirth, Valeska Maus, Christian Aretz, Arne Bachmann, Petra Wagner

The project aims at building a prosodic model for the different rhythmical patterns characterising German poetic speech (i.e. iambic vs. trochaic etc.). It is planned to evaluate the model with the help of a speech synthesis application. The first step towards gathering the necessary data was to find poetry resembling the most important metrical patterns in a most prototypical way. Our final choice of poems can be viewed here.

In a next step of data recordings, each poem was read in two different styles: prosaic and poetic. The different speakings styles were evoked by different presentation of the read material (text vs. original poem). The by musically trained native speakers with no specific education in reading poetry. Additional recordings were made with professional stage actors with a profound education of reading.

Here are some examples of text passages read in a prosaic and poetic speaking style:

Publications:

• Bröggelwirth, J. (2003). Zum aktuellen Stand der Sprechrhythmusforschung. IKP-Arbeitsberichte, Neue Folge, NF 05.  

Contact:

Jörg Bröggelwirth, Petra Wagner