--- title: "From Information Structure to Intonation: A Phonological" description: "The paper presents the phonological interface inside VieCtoS, a German concept-to-speech system. 8 references." authors: ["Hannes Pirker", "Georg Niklfeld", "Johannes Matiasek", "Harald Trost"] year: 1998 venue: "36th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and 17th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Volume 2" source: "https://aclanthology.org/P98-2171/" doi: "10.3115/980691.980740" licence: "CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)" licence_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/" summary_licence: "Elamur Cosmic License" canonical: "https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/pirker-1998-information-structure-intonation-phonological-interface/" --- [Elamur Research](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/pirker-1998-information-structure-intonation-phonological-interface/) [home](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [papers](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/) / [1998](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/1998/) / From Information Structure to Intonation: A Phonological Interface for Concept-to-Speech # From Information Structure to Intonation: A Phonological Interface for Concept-to-Speech **Authors:** [Hannes Pirker](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/hannes-pirker/), [Georg Niklfeld](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/georg-niklfeld/), [Johannes Matiasek](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/johannes-matiasek/) and [Harald Trost](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/authors/harald-trost/) · **Year:** 1998 · **Venue:** [36th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and 17th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Volume 2](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/acl/) ([ACL 1998](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/venues/acl/1998/)) · **Publisher:** [Association for Computational Linguistics](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/publishers/association-for-computational-linguistics/) · **Licence:** [CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 (ACL Anthology, before 2016)](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) **Links:** [Publisher's page](https://aclanthology.org/P98-2171/) · [PDF](https://aclanthology.org/P98-2171.pdf) · [DOI 10.3115/980691.980740](https://doi.org/10.3115/980691.980740) · [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org/W2149047612) **Citations:** 1 citations (OpenAlex, 2026-10-14) ## Summary The paper presents the phonological interface inside VieCtoS, a German concept-to-speech system. The interface sits between a FUF-based tactical generator and a speech synthesizer. In concept-to-speech, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic information is already known, so it does not have to be guessed from text. That information still has to be turned into both segmental and prosodic descriptions. The authors extend two-level morphology with feature-based "filters", which let phonological rules consult grammatical information. They use it as a two-level phonology over a lexicon of SAMPA phonemic forms. To keep several phonological tiers in one string, they linearize them: syllables, stress, accents and boundary tones are attached to a segmental skeleton by simple linking conventions. This lets standard two-level compilers process the data. For intonation, the generator only marks candidate pitch-accent and phrase-boundary positions. The two-level rules then map these to GToBI labels or delete them, based on information-structure features and phonological context. The system works and produces German weather reports. It shows that a lean finite-state formalism can handle prosody that spans several phonological dimensions. ## Key points - Pipeline: text planner → FUF tactical generator (sentence level and word level) → extended two-level phonology → phonetic interpreter → synthesizer. - All linguistically motivated transformations happen in the two-level component, and none in the synthesizer. - The lexicon holds SAMPA phonemic entries with potential accent and syllable-boundary marks. - Only inflection is handled morphotactically. - Compounds and derivations are stored in the lexicon. - Processing covers the whole utterance, because the intonation rules need the widest context. - Syllabification, segments and word stress are treated together, since they depend on each other. - Example: German "Wetter" loses its stress inside compounds in weather reports, where the concept is textually exophoric. - Intonation phrases are constrained to 1–3 pitch accents plus an obligatory boundary tone, using GToBI labels. - A rule licenses the L-H% boundary after a falling accent. - After a rising accent, L-H% is licensed only if at least two unaccented syllables follow. - Only a few conceptual tags, such as [EMPH] and [GIVEN], drive accentuation. The set of GToBI contours is deliberately reduced to a subset that sounds natural in synthetic speech. ## Interesting ideas - Several annotation tiers are flattened into one string by tying each unit to a segment skeleton with a fixed anchor (left edge, nucleus or right edge), so ordinary single-string finite-state tools still work. - The upstream module only proposes underspecified candidates (abstract accent T, boundary B), and a downstream constraint stage either realizes each one concretely or deletes it. - Local rules are allowed to query high-level features through explicit filters (sentence type, givenness, textual exophora) instead of mixing heuristics together. - The authors restrict output to a conservative subset of contours that a theory allows, because some forms that humans produce sound wrong when a machine produces them. - Some rules check whether the phonological context leaves enough room for a pattern, such as enough syllables to realize a fall-rise. ## For Mova How these ideas could serve Mova, our small open language model — its files, stages and tests: - **I1** (tokens): extra layers such as clitic boundaries, morpheme splits or sentence-stress marks could be anchored to token positions the same way, keeping rules for the en crate simple and inspectable. - **I2** (back): generation from the meaning graph could insert optional slots (pronoun vs. full name, comma, emphasis) and let a separate surface-constraint pass decide, which keeps each decision explainable. - **I3** (frames): pragmatic decisions such as speech-act type or givenness could be exposed as named features that later rules test explicitly, so every effect traces back to a stated condition. - **I4** (back): generated text could be limited to a whitelist of constructions known to read naturally, trading expressiveness for reliability in the text → graph → text compressor. - **I5** (back): realization rules could check whether there is enough material before choosing a construction, for example avoiding a cleft or a heavy fronting when the constituent is too short. *Our summary of the paper, in our own words — not its text. The work belongs to its authors; read it at the links above.* ## Institutions - [University of Vienna](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/universities/university-of-vienna/) — University, Vienna, Austria · 16 works · 38,729 citations - [Austrian Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/labs/austrian-research-institute-for-artificial-intelligence/) — Research institute, Vienna, Austria · 4 works · 27 citations 📚 Shelves (6): [🖥️ Computer Science](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/computer-science/) · 16,667 works · [🤖 Artificial Intelligence](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/computer-science/artificial-intelligence/) · 16,194 works · [🎭 Arts and Humanities](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/arts-and-humanities/) · 16,039 works · [🗣️ Language and Linguistics](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/arts-and-humanities/language-and-linguistics/) · 15,891 works · [💭 Psychology](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/psychology/) · 1,552 works · [💭 Experimental and Cognitive Psychology](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/shelves/psychology/experimental-and-cognitive-psychology/) · 870 works 🧭 Topics (1): [🎙️ Speech & spoken language](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/topics/speech/) · 480 works ## Cite Cite as: Hannes Pirker, Georg Niklfeld, Johannes Matiasek and Harald Trost. 1998. From Information Structure to Intonation: A Phonological Interface for Concept-to-Speech. 36th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and 17th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Volume 2. The paper itself, not this page. BibTeX from the library's record of the work. ```bibtex @inproceedings{pirker1998information, title = {{From Information Structure to Intonation: A Phonological Interface for Concept-to-Speech}}, author = {Hannes Pirker, Georg Niklfeld, Johannes Matiasek and Harald Trost}, booktitle = {36th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics and 17th International Conference on Computational Linguistics, Volume 2}, year = {1998}, doi = {10.3115/980691.980740}, url = {https://doi.org/10.3115/980691.980740} } ``` - [← previous Studies in the Syntax of the Peshitta of 1 Kings](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/williams-1998-studies-syntax-peshitta-1-kings/) - [next → As it ys seyde to fore'. Some Linguistic Evidence in the Process of Compiling Middle English Medical Recipes](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/almeida-2019-ys-seyde-fore-some-linguistic/) - [↑ back to papers of 1998](https://md.research.elamur.ai/free/en/papers/1998/) ## References 8 references, 0 of them with a card of ours. ↗ leads to the work, «find» searches for one we have no id for yet. 1. Alter K., Matiasek J., Niklfeld G.: Modeling Prosody in a German Concept-to-Speech System, in Gibbon D.(ed.), Natural Language Processing and Speech Technology, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, 1996. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Alter+K%2E%2C+Matiasek+J%2E%2C+Niklfeld+G%2E%3A+Modeling+Prosody+in+a+German+Concept%2Dto%2DSpeech+System%2C+in+Gibbon+D%2E%28ed%2E%29%2C+Natural+Language+Processing+and+Speech+Technology%2C+Mouton+de+Gruyter%2C+Berlin%2C+1996%2E) 2. Benware W.A.: Accent Variation in German Nominal Compounds of the Type (A (BC)), Linguistische Berichte, 108:102-27, 1987. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Benware+W%2EA%2E%3A+Accent+Variation+in+German+Nominal+Compounds+of+the+Type+%28A+%28BC%29%29%2C+Linguistische+Berichte%2C+108%3A102%2D27%2C+1987%2E) 3. Elhadad M.: FUF: The Universal Unifier User Manual, Dept.of Computer Science, Columbia University, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Elhadad+M%2E%3A+FUF%3A+The+Universal+Unifier+User+Manual%2C+Dept%2Eof+Computer+Science%2C+Columbia+University%2C+1991%2E) 4. Grice M., Reyelt M., Benzmiiller R., Mayer J., Batliner A.: Consistency in Transcription and Labelling of German Intonation with GToBI, Proc. of ICSLP 96, Philadelphia, pp.1716-19, 1996. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Grice+M%2E%2C+Reyelt+M%2E%2C+Benzmiiller+R%2E%2C+Mayer+J%2E%2C+Batliner+A%2E%3A+Consistency+in+Transcription+and+Labelling+of+German+Intonation+with+GToBI%2C+Proc%2E+of+ICSLP+96%2C+Philadelphia%2C+pp%2E1716%2D19%2C+1996%2E) 5. Gussenhoven C.: On the grammar and semantics of sentence accents, Dordrecht: Foris, 1984. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Gussenhoven+C%2E%3A+On+the+grammar+and+semantics+of+sentence+accents%2C+Dordrecht%3A+Foris%2C+1984%2E) 6. Niklfeld G., Pirker H., Trost H.: Using Two-Level Morphology ms a Generator- Synthesizer Interface in Concept-to-Speech, in Proc. of Eurospeech 95, Madrid, 2:1223-26, 1995. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Niklfeld+G%2E%2C+Pirker+H%2E%2C+Trost+H%2E%3A+Using+Two%2DLevel+Morphology+ms+a+Generator%2D+Synthesizer+Interface+in+Concept%2Dto%2DSpeech%2C+in+Proc%2E+of+Eurospeech+95%2C+Madrid%2C+2%3A1223%2D26%2C+1995%2E) 7. Niklfeld G., Alter K.: Covering prosody in concept-to-speech via an extended two-level-phonology component, in Computational Phonology in Speech Technology - 2nd Meeting of SIGPHON, Santa Cruz, CA, 1996. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Niklfeld+G%2E%2C+Alter+K%2E%3A+Covering+prosody+in+concept%2Dto%2Dspeech+via+an+extended+two%2Dlevel%2Dphonology+component%2C+in+Computational+Phonology+in+Speech+Technology+%2D+2nd+Meeting+of+SIGPHON%2C+Santa+Cruz%2C+CA%2C+19) 8. Matiasek J., Trost H.: An HPSG-Based Generator for German - An Experiment in the Reusability of Linguistic Resources, in Proc. of COLING 96, Copenhagen, pp.752-57, 1996. Pirker H., Alter K., Matiasek J., Trost H., Kubin G.: A System of Stylized Intonation Contours for German, in Proc. of Eurospeech 97, Rhodes, Greece, 1:307-10, 1997. Prevost S., Steedman M.: Specifying Intonation from Context for Speech Synthesis, Speech Communication, 15:139-153, 1994. Trost, H.: X2MORF: A Morphological Component Based on Augmented Two-Level Morphology, in: IJCAI-91, Morgan Kaufmann, San Mateo, CA, pp.1024-1030, 1991. [find](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Matiasek+J%2E%2C+Trost+H%2E%3A+An+HPSG%2DBased+Generator+for+German+%2D+An+Experiment+in+the+Reusability+of+Linguistic+Resources%2C+in+Proc%2E+of+COLING+96%2C+Copenhagen%2C+pp%2E752%2D57%2C+1996%2E+Pirker+H%2E%2C+Alter+K%2E%2C+Matiasek+) *Updated 29 October 2026*