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In:Interdisciplinary Approaches to Romance Linguistics: In honor of Barbara E. Bullock and Almeida Jacqueline Toribio
Edited by Mark Amengual and Amanda Dalola
[Issues in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 45] 2025
► pp. 96–114

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Chapter 4
The peaks and valleys of Córdoba [speech]

Suprasegmental cues and their role in the perception of dialect

 | James Madison University
Published online: 2 September 2025
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/ihll.45.04lan
Abstract
This study aims to determine what suprasegmental features may be perceived in the identification of a Córdoba (Argentina) dialect. Impressionistic studies described a lengthened pre-tonic vowel and early peak alignment (Fontanella de Weinberg, 1971; Yorio, 1973). The F0 of the peak and valley within the pre-tonic and tonic syllables of each token were measured (following Colantoni, 2011). Córdoba tokens showed an early valley alignment occurring before the tonic syllable, and earlier than the Buenos Aires and Tucumán tokens. An early valley and rise were perceived as more indicative of a Córdoba dialect than valleys within the tonic syllable. These findings illustrate the role of tonal alignment in the tonada cordobesa and have implications for the perception of simultaneous suprasegmental features.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Perception analysis: Córdoba identification accuracy
    • 2.2Acoustic analysis
      • 2.2.1Tokens
      • 2.2.2Measurements
      • 2.2.3Speakers
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Comparison of syllable and vowel durations
      • 3.1.1Syllable and vowel durations
      • 3.1.2Ratio comparison of syllable types
    • 3.2Tonal alignment
      • 3.2.1Valleys
      • 3.2.2Peaks
    • 3.3Perception and acoustic characteristics
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Tonal alignment
    • 4.2Syllable lengthening
    • 4.3Perception and identification
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
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