Belfast Intonation and Speaker Gender

Literature on the Belfast dialect of English typically describes it as one that is characterized by a rise-plateau nuclear pattern in declaratives. Informal listening suggests, however, that a falling nuclear pattern is employed in several instances, and its use appears to be gender related, in that it is found more frequently in female speech. A production study is carried out to discover the frequency of production of falling nuclear patterns in male and female speakers, and a perception test on Belfast speakers provides evidence that the use of falling nuclear pattern creates impressions of expressivity, emotional engagement, enthusiasm, and commitment to establishing effective interaction with the participant in the speech event.