PUFIN

The project “Persian Utterance Final Intonation (PUFIN)” is partially supported by British Institute of Persian Studies.

PI: Cong Zhang, Newcastle University
CO-Is:
Niamh Kelly, Newcastle University
Vahid Sadeghi, Imam Khomeini International University

Abstract:
The melody of speech carries meaning alongside words, often signalling more than words alone can convey. In Persian, the ends of phrases are especially rich in these melodic cues: a slight rise or fall in pitch can turn a statement into a question, mark politeness, or call for someone’s attention. Yet, despite their importance for everyday communication, Persian intonational patterns remain far less studied than those of many other languages. Our preliminary research suggests that Persian offers unique insights into how melodies at the word and sentence levels interact, broadening our understanding of intonation patterns across the world’s languages. For this project, we will carry out experimental studies of Persian intonation, beginning with the tune used for calling, and extending to other phrase-final patterns such as questions or continuation melodies, for example. The findings will advance linguistic knowledge, aid Persian language teaching, inform speech technology, and raise the visibility of an under-studied language.

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