EFFECTS OF GENDER ON PROSODIC FEATURES OF A THREAT

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of the article is to determine to what extent gender factor influences the threat production process in the German language. Methodology and Approach. Having conducted a phonetic experiment the author compares prosodic features of male and female voices and carries out an analysis of such features as frequency, volume and duration. The study provides frequency, volume and syllable duration patterns based on the acquired data. Results. The results obtained made it possible to define the model of the pitch frequencies development, as well as the intensity and syllable length of threat invariant. One may conclude that despite the presence of distinctive features of both male and female voices, the gender factor doesn’t interfere with the process of producing and identifying a threat and corresponds primarily with individual features of speakers’ intonation. Theoretical and Practical Implications. In practical terms the article may be of interest not only to linguists, but also to forensic specialists conducting phonoscope examinations and to the ones studying forensic linguistics as well as fundamentals of conflict resolution.