constructiegeluid

Constructiegeluid is a term used in linguistics to describe the characteristic acoustic profile associated with certain syntactic constructions. It refers to the set of audible cues—prosodic and segmental—that listeners use to identify and distinguish particular grammatical configurations within spoken language. The concept emphasizes that not only the sequence of words, but also the accompanying sound patterns, contribute to the perception of construction type.

In practice, constructiegeluid encompasses features such as intonation contour, speech rate, pausing, syllable length, and, where relevant, vowel quality and voice onset time. These cues may be robust enough to signal a construction across different speakers and dialects, and they can vary with context, formality, and emphasis. For instance, certain clause-initial constructions may be accompanied by a characteristic rise in pitch or a perceptible pausing pattern, creating a recognisable acoustic signature.

Researchers study constructiegeluid using acoustic phonetics, spectrographic analysis, and perception experiments, often in corpora annotated with syntactic structure. The concept aids investigations into how listeners parse grammar from speech and how social factors influence the realization of constructions.

Despite being more prominent in some Dutch-language studies, the term is not universally standardized and may be defined differently across works. It remains a useful lens for examining the interaction between syntax and phonology in spontaneous speech.