Tone and loudness as markers of dialect identity: A sociophonetic comparison of highland and lowland speakers of Binisayang Biliranon
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Prosody, encompassing the rhythmic and melodic aspects of speech, plays a central role in conveying meaning beyond lexical content, and suprasegmental features such as pitch and loudness can serve as markers of social and regional variation. This study investigated the prosodic characteristics of Binisayang Biliranon, a Visayan dialect spoken in Biliran Province, Philippines, focusing on differences in tone (F0 in Hz) and loudness (dB SPL) between highland and lowland communities in Almeria, Biliran. Using a comparative descriptive design, speech data were collected from 60 male participants through structured reading tasks and spontaneous personal reaction prompts. Acoustic analyses conducted with PRAAT measured F0 and intensity, normalized for microphone gain and distance. Results revealed statistically significant differences in both tone and loudness: during reading tasks, Highland speakers produced higher pitch (overall mean F0 = 752.42 Hz) and louder speech (Reading Statement 1: 66.08 dB; Reading Statement 2: 68.50 dB) compared to Lowland speakers (overall mean F0 = 726.98 Hz; Reading Statement 1: 63.78 dB; Reading Statement 2: 64.71 dB), whereas in spontaneous personal reactions, Lowland speakers exhibited higher loudness (70.78 dB in happy/excited reactions) and greater variability in pitch (highest tone: 726.98 Hz; lowest tone: 71.39 Hz) compared to Highland speakers (highest tone: 752.42 Hz; lowest tone: 59.23 Hz). These results indicate that prosodic variation is context-dependent, influenced by communicative goals and community affiliation. The findings suggest that pitch and intensity function as salient markers of intra-dialectal identity, shaped by social, geographic, and environmental factors. Future studies are recommended to incorporate female speakers, additional age groups, and other Visayan dialects, as well as acoustic modeling and perception analyses, to explore cross-dialectal and ecological influences on prosody and their effects on listener comprehension.
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7208823995