Aligning pitch targets in speech synthesis : ef fects of syllable structure

The perceptual cross-over point between a Dutch ‘‘flat-hat’’ contour with an early final fall and one with a late final fall is sensitive to the segmental structure of the syllable accented by the fall . The findings are interpreted in terms of segmental influences on the alignment of accented targets (H*) : voiced segments in the syllable onset and coda pull it leftwards and rightwards , respectively , while voiceless segments in the onset also exert a leftward pull . The P-centre as defined in the work of Pompino-Marschall does not explain the variation observed . It is concluded that phonetic implementation rules align the intonational targets with reference to the beginning of the syllable , but additionally allow the voiced segments in the onset and rhyme to centre the location to a certain extent within the voiced stretch . ÷ 1995 Academic Press Limited