Communicating Emotion: The Role of Prosodic Features
This article reviews the expression of emotion through the nonverbal (prosodic) features of speech. Emotions can be expressed prosodically, apparently through a variety of prosodic features. This communication appears to be largely the same for different individuals and cultures, suggesting that the prosodic expression of emotion is not conventional. Some correlations between dimensions of emotions and prosodic features are discussed, and the possibility that prosodic contours (patterns of pitch and loudness over time) are used to communicate specific emotions is explored. Methodological difficulties with the acoustical manipulation of relevant auditory and articulatory features are noted….