Prosodic features in Spanish audio descriptions of the VIW corpus

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María J. Machuca
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Anna Matamala
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1607-9011
Antonio Ríos Mestre
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

The aim of this study is to analyse the prosodic features of a corpus of audio descriptions in Spanish to determine the user preferences, both sighted and persons with sight loss. The analysis is contextualised by a thorough review of the guidelines and recommendations on voicing audio description. The corpus analysis is based on 10 audio descriptions produced by Spanish professionals. The audio descriptions are analysed in terms of duration, pitch and amplitude. Then a perception test involving 60 participants (31 persons with sight loss and 29 sighted persons) is carried out, using both male and female voices. This research has provided new knowledge in this field and has shown how preferences correlate with certain prosodic values. The results provide food for thought for service providers when selecting the most suitable voices for audio description.

Keywords
audio description, prosody, media accessibility, speech analysis, perception

Article Details

How to Cite
Machuca, María J. et al. “Prosodic features in Spanish audio descriptions of the VIW corpus”. MonTi: Monografías de Traducción e Interpretación, no. 12, pp. 53-77, https://raco.cat/index.php/MonTI/article/view/368630.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biographies

María J. Machuca, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

María J. Machuca received a PhD in Spanish Philology from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and she was appointed full-time lecturer in Spanish Language at the same university. Her research, publications and participation in national and international projects deal with the application of experimental phonetics to different research areas, such as Forensic Phonetics, speech technology, speaking styles, and foreign language acquisition. Her publications can be retrieved from: http://filescat.uab.cat/filesp/ maria-jesus-machuca-ayuso/

Anna Matamala, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Anna Matamala, BA in Translation (UAB) and PhD in Applied Linguistics (UPF), is an Associate Professor at UAB (Barcelona). Currently leading TransMedia Catalonia, she has participated and led projects on audiovisual translation and media accessibility. She has taken an active role in the organisation of scientific events (M4ALL, ARSAD), and has published in journals such as Meta, Translator, Perspectives, Babel or Translation Studies. She is currently involved in standardisation work. gent.uab.cat/amatamala

Antonio Ríos Mestre, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Antonio Ríos Mestre received his PhD degree in Spanish Phonology from UAB. He holds a position of Associate Professor at the Department of Spanish Studies. He teaches undergraduate courses in Translation, Oral Expression, Phonetics, and Phonology. His research focuses mainly on the studies related to oral language, particularly in the prosodic and segmental aspects.