Database tools for a prosodic analysis of the Swedish dialects

A searchable database of speech samples from more than 100 Swedish dialects is being established for use in research and education. Each dialect is represented by at least 12 speakers. The recorded material comprises spontaneous speech as well as words and phrases elicited with a number of specific research goals in mind. This paper summarizes one of these goals, a prosodic typology for the Swedish dialects, and describes a database prototype designed as a tool in this research. Its use in accessing, representing and analyzing the relevant data is illustrated. A full project description is available in Reports from the Department of Phonetics Umea University (PHONUM) 4, pp. 97-100; see also http://www.swedia.nu