Contributions to the study of Cuban Spanish intonation. Intonation patterns and discourse prosody

Abstract

Introduction: Within Hispanicism, the study of intonation is generally approached with a tributary vision of orthodox structuralism, centered on the description of the system and its abstract units. The present research proposes a model based on a broader perspective founded on the Complexity Theory, which allows the definition of intonation patterns encoded in the Cuban variant of Spanish, as well as the study of the discursive functioning of prosody in its interaction with the rest of the semiotic systems of expression. Methods: The research uses a heterogeneous oral speech sample, conformed by audiovisuals, spontaneous speech, and laboratory speech. It proposes a work protocol structured in stages: first, the perceptual definition (auditory analysis), acoustic (acoustic analysis), and functional (semantic-pragmatic analysis) of intonation patterns in the speech of Havana; corroborated in a second stage through geolinguistic research methods in 14 points of the Cuban geography; third, the discursive study of prosody (acoustic and functional analysis) in academic and journalistic oral texts. Results: The research defined a system of 18 intonation patterns encoded in the speech of Havana. It proves that it is a functioning system in 14 points in the western, central, and eastern regions of the Island, with acoustic or functional variants depending on the context and gender of the speakers. The value of these units and other prosodic features is verified in the discourse structuring of topics, information highlighting, and meaning expression. As some conclusions, the study of intonation requires a broad perspective, which allows the definition of a system of stable units, but open and variable (acoustically and functionally) in their interactions with other means of expression and the contextual conditions of their use.