Voice Quality in Verbal Irony: Electroglottographic Analyses of Ironic Utterances in Standard Austrian German
Abstract
When using verbal irony in interpersonal communication, paraverbal cues can reduce the risk of misunderstandings. Besides fundamental frequency, intensity and duration, speakers could use voice quality parameters to disambiguate between ironic and literal utterances. How these paraverbal cues are used to mark irony appears to be language- and/or culture-specific. Since the role of voice quality in ironic utterances has not yet been investigated in Austrian German, the present study addresses this issue. In addition to the acoustic signal, the vocal fold vibration is recorded via electroglottography (EGG). The detailed analysis of the EGG data as well as the acoustic data, provides insight into voice quality characteristics of ironic and literal realisations of short utterances. The analyses reveal that, in Standard Austrian German, some differences in voice quality exist between ironic and literal realisations of utterances: When being ironic, speakers’ voices tend to be breathier, creakier or rougher. Differences are more pronounced in the older age group and in male speakers.