Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


osu1306897682.pdf (2.54 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

An empirical investigation of a sarcastic tone of voice in instrumental music

Plazak, Joseph Stephen
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306897682

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Music.
Music is often regarded as being similar to language. Both music and language are capable of communicating affective information through changes in “tone of voice.” This study examines the communication of a sarcastic tone of voice in a musical context. It was hypothesized that the cues of sarcastic music would be similar to the cues of sarcastic speech. The first study investigated the acoustical cues used by instrumentalists to encode a sarcastic tone of voice. These cues were found to include: a noisy timbre, staccato-like articulations, relatively shorter durations, and relatively greater intensity. The second study investigated the acoustical cues used by listeners to decode a sarcastic tone of voice. These cues were found to include: a noisy timbre, staccato-like articulations, relatively shorter durations, and relatively lower pitches. It was further hypothesized that listeners would be able to identify sarcasm in a musical context. In a matching task, listeners were able to distinguish a sarcastic tone of voice better than any of the other seven affective tones of voice (i.e. sadness, joy, sincerity, anger, mysterious, tenderness, neutral) used in the study. In order to test for demand characteristics, a free-response study was devised and found that contextual clues are an important factor in hearing a sarcastic tone of voice in instrumental music.
David Huron, PhD (Advisor)
Marc Ainger, PhD (Committee Member)
Anna Gawboy, PhD (Committee Member)
160 p.
Music
sarcasm; irony; non-literal meaning; tone of voice; instrumental music

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Plazak, J. S. (2011). An empirical investigation of a sarcastic tone of voice in instrumental music [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306897682

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Plazak, Joseph. An empirical investigation of a sarcastic tone of voice in instrumental music. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306897682.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Plazak, Joseph. "An empirical investigation of a sarcastic tone of voice in instrumental music." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306897682

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1306897682
3,896
© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.