Interaction of Vowel F₀ and Prosody

Abstract In the experiment reported here, the intrinsic fundamental frequency (IF₀) difference between high and low vowels was investigated in controlled prosodic contexts. Findings do not support the hypothesis proposed elsewhere that IF₀ differences increase as a function of the speaker’s F₀. An explanation which includes the influence of both vocal fold tension and subglottal pressure accounts for the data better than current theories of IF₀ differences. IF₀ differences may be explained as a phonetic-level result of the implementation of pitch accent and prominence.