1. Rhythm & language Day 24 Music Cognition Harry Howard
MUSC , NSCI 466, NSCI
Harry Howard
Barbara Jazwinski
Tulane University

2. Course administration
Spend provost's money
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

3. Rhythm in language and music

4. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Rhythm in language
basketball
conundrum
falsification
man
chairman
divide
division
cane
canebreak
sugarcane
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

5. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Syllable length
English syllables do not all have the same length
Compare to Spanish
banana
Spanish syllables tend to have the same length
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

6. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Timing
English is said to be stress-timed
the length of a syllable depends on its stress
also Dutch, German
Spanish is said to be syllable-timed
each syllable has approximately the same length
also French, Portuguese
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

7. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Sensitivity
Listeners are sensitive to the patterning of vowel duration in speech
i.e. it plays a role in judgments of the naturalness of synthetic speech
non-native speaker accent
The temporal patterning of vowels is likely to be one factor contributing to the rhythmic feel of a language
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

8. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
An experiment
Create a measure of vowel length (nPVI)
Take a sample of English and French speakers
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

9. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
nPVI
Normalized Pairwise Variability Index
The different in length between two vocalic intervals is measured relative to the averaged length of the two intervals
the measure is relative
this avoids problem of different rates of speaking
it can be compared to music
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

10. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Sample speech
English:
The local train left the station more than five minutes ago.
The last concert given at the opera was a tremendous success.
The city council has decided to renovate the medieval center.
French
Les parents se sont approchés de l’enfant sans faire de bruit.
Ils ont appris l’évènement au journal télévisé de huit heures.
Le ministère de la culture a augmenté le nombre de ces subventions.
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Results
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Composers
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Musical nPVI values
nPVI values were computed directly from music notation
To compute the nPVI for a given theme, the first note was arbitrarily given a duration of 1, and the durations of remaining notes were expressed as multiples or fractions of the first note.
An example of a Debussy theme (D122, Quartet in G minor for Strings, 1st movement, 2nd theme) and an Elgar theme (E72, Symphony No. 1, in A Flat, Opus 55, 4th movement, 2nd theme), together with the nPVI for each theme.
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Total results
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Average results
English and French musical themes are different, with English music having the greater value (mean nPVI = vs ).
This difference is significant (Mann–Whitney U-test, U = , P < 0.01).
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

16. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
Why?
It is known from studies of language acquisition that the perceptual system is sensitive to the rhythmic patterns of language from a very early age.
Composers, like other members of their culture, internalize these patterns as part of learning to speak their native language.
So…
when composers write music, linguistic rhythms are “in their ears”, and they can consciously or unconsciously draw on these patterns in weaving the sonic fabric of their music.
developing composers are influenced by the music of their compatriots, which, in turn, is influenced by the music these composers hear as children, such as popular and folk songs whose rhythms bear the imprint of their associated linguistic texts.
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

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Caveat
Neither explanation suggests that the connection between linguistic and musical rhythm is obligatory;
Rather, this link is likely to be greater in historical epochs where composers seek a national character for their music.
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

18. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
An outlier
Vincent D’Indy
Investigation of D’Indy’s background suggests a reason for this pattern.
Goldbeck (1965) notes:
“[D’Indy] considered French 19th century music … to be superficial, frivolous and unworthy to compete with the teutonic Bach–Beethoven–Wagner tradition. … the serious and uncompromising principles of German symphony and of Bayreuth should be applied to French music, inspired by French legends and true to the spirit of French folklore.”
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

19. Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University
An explanation
If D’Indy’s admiration of German music played a role in his compositional style,
and German music reflects the stress-timed German language,
then D’Indy’s high nPVI value is understandable.
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Music Cognition - Jazwinski & Howard - Tulane University

20. Party I might say something about the evolution of music
Next Monday
Party
I might say something about the evolution of music