Expresión y contacto: dimensiones de la afectividad en prosodia

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the different dimensions of affectivity that are related to speech prosody. On one hand, we distinguish between the different verbal codes that take part in the communicative exchange: the ones that are socially established (stable codes) and those that must be implicitly agreed or set by the interlocutors (semi-stable codes). On the other hand, we propose an objective method to conduct the acoustic analysis of the speech prosody as a whole: that is to say, taking into account the intonation (speech melody), the dynamics (the relation of intensities within the sentence) and the rhythm (the relation of durations) of the speech. Later, we explain what affective language is and which codes are involved in it. Finally, we explain how prosody is the container (or phonic holder) of all the linguistic contents that are brought into play when we try to communicate. All in all, the dimensions of affectivity in prosody are related to: the expression of emotions, politeness and focus; the modalization of information; and the contact between the interlocutors.