Prosodic hierarchy and melodic hierarchy: a possible comparison?

• Grant number: 08/06656-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2008
• End date: October 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Augusto de Moraes Tatit
• Grantee: José Roberto do Carmo Júnior
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to compare the hierarchical structure of the prosodic component of natural languages with the hierarchical structure of tonal melody. As prosodic hierarchies have been widely discussed by the literature, we will look for evidences of melodic domains that may serve as a suitable basis for the comparison between melodic and prosodic hierarchies. For this purpose, the research will focus on the following objectives: (i) find evidences of domains in the hierarchical structure of the tonal melody; (ii) establish the components of the melodic "grammar" that support these domains; and (iii) describe the similarities as well as the structural differences between melodic and prosodic hierarchies. (AU)