Pitch accent position, peak height, and prominence level relative to accented vowel onset on YouTube

Prominence can be expressed using several strategies, such as the position of the accent relative to the accented vowel (later pitch accents tend to be perceived as more prominent) or the height of the pitch peak that is associated with the prominent syllable (higher pitch peaks are likewise perceived as more prominent). These strategies are investigated here for a sample of YouTubers, in whose case it is necessary to draw an audience in quickly. Speaking expressively is thus important, and strong or emphatic prominences are one way to do that. We find that the YouTubers in the sample used significantly more non-early peaks than early peaks, and more emphatic prominences than weak prominences. The timing of the accents does not seem to be tied to the prominence level, but emphatic accents were produced with higher pitch peaks than the other prominence levels. Results differed depending on speaker origin.