The Sociocultural Value of Fo-variation in British and American English

The paper reports on a number of acoustic experiments with focus on FO-parameters. The aim of the research is to determine which of the sociocultural connotations established for FO-code in British English are valid for the American context. It is an attempt to differentiate nationally specific regional and sociocultural constraints on FO-variation. The FO-parameters are: FO-max, FO-mean, FO-range, FO-variability and FOcombinability with intensity and duration. The social correlates are: regional background, social status (occupation), age, gender. The results of the comparative analysis suggest that North vs. South regional distinctions as well as higher vs. lower social status, together with age characteristics, follow the same trend in both varieties of English while gender (sex)-differentiating features, apart from the obvious FO-means, tend to be nationally culture-distinctive. The phonetic data are linguistically and socioculturally evaluated. 1. PREVIOUS WORK ON BRITISH PROSODY 1.