Aproximación al estudio de la entonación aragonesa

Abstract

The paper begins with preliminary explanations about the research group involved in the AMPER project at the University of Zaragoza and with an overview of the linguistic situation in a region where Castillian is the native language of most of the inhabitants, though other Aragonese and Catalan linguistics varieties are also spoken, a factor to be taken into account in the course of the project.

The intonation patterns peculiar to Aragón, so frequently commented on by experts, have barely been subjected to instrumental analysis with a view to determining the physical parameters that go to make up what in socio-cultural terms are seen as the most recognizable aspect of Aragonese speech, and which vary considerably from one area to another. The study concludes with a preliminary analysis of the declarative and interrogative modality of three phrases without postmodification, with an S+V+O structure, in which the initial and intermediate accents are always paroxitone, whereas the final accent may be oxitone, paroxitone or proparoxitone. The informant is a woman with an urban background (Zaragoza), 39 years old and without higher studies.

A provisional conclusion from a study of the resulting intonation curves would be that there is no fundamental difference between the declaratory statement curve to be found in the Spanish of Zaragoza and that of standard peninsular Spanish. The most noteworthy differences would be the greater elevation of the tone at the end of the nominal phrase subject and, in relation to what has traditionally been thought to be the case, a greater fall of the F0 in the toneme.