Prosodic Phrase in Spoken Czech

Concise and accessible, this monograph fills a gap in Czech language study with its compelling look into the prosodic phrase.

The prosodic phrase is a crucial element in the sound structure of the Czech language, though oft overlooked. The properties of prosodic phrases, such as stress, intonation, and tonal pattern, show typical characteristics of prose. Prosodic Phrase in Spoken Czech provides a source for this missing information in an approachable format for all manner of readers. The core of the study draws on authentic speech material—storytelling, news reading, and poetry recitation—where prosodic phrases are analyzed in terms of their phonetic structure, acoustic characteristics, and associated syntactic features. Supported by the presentation of original perception experiments, this monograph delves into the perceptual significance of prosodic phrasing. Beyond offering intriguing insights into this core aspect of prosodic structure, it serves as a valuable resource for designing future experiments in natural language processing.

Jan Volín is a full professor at the Institute of Phonetics in Prague.

Pavel Šturm is assistant professor at the Institute of Phonetics at Charles University in Prague.

Radek Skarnitzl is associate professor at the Institute of Phonetics at Charles University’s Faculty of Arts.

Tomáš Bořil is assistant professor at the Institute of Phonetics at Charles University.