Prosodic Features in Pakistani English News Anchors: An Acoustic Study

Abstract

This study presents an acoustic qualitative analysis of the prosodic features used by Pakistani English news anchors. Prosody, such as pitch, intensity, speech rate and pausing patterns used in broadcast journalism is an important aspect of ensuring the clarity, intelligibility and effectiveness of the communication. The aim of the study is to identify the prosodic features used by the English news anchors of Pakistan and to analyse the pattern of variation in the news broadcast. Four English language news anchors both male and female were chosen from Dawn News and PTV World. The prosodic characteristics were studied by using speech samples and the software PRAAT. Theoretical background of the study is the theories of Prosodic Phonology and Acoustic Phonetics. The findings indicate that all anchors employed pitch variation, high intensity, moderate speech rate, and strategic pauses for purposes of control in news delivery. The pitch range and pitch variability were found to be higher in female anchors than in the male anchors, whereas the differences in speech rate and pause length were attributed to individual and institutional broadcasting style. The findings suggest a professional prosodic profile that is congruent with the clarity, coherence and credibility of the Pakistani English broadcast discourse, thereby enriching the knowledge of prosody in Pakistani English broadcast discourse.